Turning Points: Teamwork
by elarielf
Summary: AU/"What if" story - What if Kanon never followed Suzaku to his rendez-vous with Lelouch? Together, Suzaku and Lelouch can accomplish anything, including breaking down Lelouch's inherent mistrust of other people, even his father. Sometimes the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions and not every turning point leads to a happier ending.
1. Alliance

It had come at last. The decisive battle. The turning point when Zero's rebellion either crumbled to pieces or became a full-out world war. The fight for the future of Area 11, and then the rest of the world.

And both Lelouch and Suzaku were missing it.

"Has it really been eight years?" Lelouch wondered aloud to himself as he climbed the steps up to the Kururugi shrine. "Eight years since that summer… eight years since you became the first and only real friend I ever made."

The sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees and the running water were familiar, as were the scents that accompanied them. It was summer, and Lelouch's memories of the Kururugi shrine were all summer memories.

He paused at the seventh last step, as the top of Suzaku's head came into view.

He'd come. He'd kept his promise. Lelouch had known that he would, but it was still reassuring to see it proven.

"You came alone?" Suzaku asked as soon as Lelouch stopped in front of him.

Lelouch carefully didn't roll his eyes. There was no one who could hide from Suzaku's sharp senses. "I said I would."

"You have a lot of nerve coming here."

Lelouch almost repeated '_I said I would_', as if that was the only answer he needed. But he didn't; it wasn't his aim here to alienate Suzaku. "According to this situation, there were thirty-one secure routes I could have taken–"

"That's not what I meant, Lelouch."

Lelouch closed his mouth with an audible snap. It seemed that he could alienate Suzaku just fine _without_ trying.

Suzaku continued, his voice growing harder and hotter as he spoke, his left hand fisting around a small object he was carrying. "Showing your face in front of me was what took nerve." Lelouch flinched, but Suzaku didn't stop there. "You _promised_? Why should I believe any promises you make?"

"Then why did _you_ come?" Lelouch demanded in return. "After what you did, the lies you told, _your_ betrayals?"

"Because I'm fed up with lying," Suzaku retorted. "I've had to lie to Nunnally, just like you, and it's the _worst_ thing. And still you can speak of betrayal when you betrayed us all, from the very beginning?" Lelouch opened his mouth to protest, that he'd never meant to betray anyone, but Suzaku didn't let him. "Not just me and Nunnally, everyone on the student council, Kallen and Shirley, and…" Suzaku's left hand flew up, brandishing Euphemia's pendant like a ward against evil. "And don't forget Euphy!"

Lelouch hadn't. From the moment he'd realized she was in Japan until the moment his father had stolen his memories, Lelouch hadn't forgotten Euphemia for a single second.

"Did you use _geass_ on her?" Suzaku asked, his voice still trembling slightly.

"Yes." Lelouch looked away.

"You forced her to massacre the Japanese?"

"I ordered it done."

"_Why_?" Suzaku demanded, sounding like at once as if his heart was breaking again, and as if he might lose it and lash out in his rage. "Why would you do that?"

Lelouch swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He'd never promised to only tell the truth, and there was no way Suzaku would ever believe what had actually happened, but it was harder than he'd expected to lie about this. "To motivate the Japanese. If the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan worked, my rebellion would be over."

He'd expected a punch. Instead, Suzaku calmed down to an almost frightening chill, similar to the cool rage when he'd first found out about Lelouch being Zero. "And Shirley's death?"

"My doing as well." Or close enough. He was as responsible for Shirley's death as if he'd pulled the trigger himself.

"You're not even human," Suzaku said, his voice heavy with disgust, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. "Playing games with lives, taking two of the most wonderful people in the world and using them as mere pawns…"

"Like Schneizel's using Nunnally!" Lelouch said, jumping in at the chance to turn the conversation back to the reason they were here. "All that wrongdoing, all those sins, are mine. Nunnally has nothing to do with it, and she's–" Lelouch felt his throat close with fear at the thought of Nunnally being used against him, even more directly than she had been.

"You coward!" Suzaku snapped. "Using Nunnally as an excuse…"

Lelouch went to his knees, lowering himself in front of Suzaku. The unexpectedness of the move seemed to shock Suzaku into silence, and Lelouch took the opportunity to say something that had festered inside his heart from the moment that he'd first realized it had been Suzaku in that white Knightmare.

"I'm sorry." 

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

_Sorry_?

Suzaku couldn't believe his ears. Lelouch had admitted to killing Shirley, to causing Euphemia's madness, to masterminding all the pain and suffering that Suzaku had tried so hard to prevent, and he was _sorry_?

It wasn't enough. It couldn't be enough.

"This is the first time in my life that I've bowed down to another person," Lelouch said. Indeed, he looked awkward on his knees. "I've lost all sense of pride or fear of shame. All I want is this, _geass_ be damned, just save Nunnally! I'm begging you, Suzaku, _please_–"

Suzaku slammed his foot down on the back of Lelouch's head, grinding his face down into the pebbly ground. "Begging, Lelouch? You think that after everything you've done, that'll make up for it? That just asking for forgiveness means you'll be forgiven?"

"No, of course I don't, but it's all I can do," Lelouch mumbled into the rocks, his voice muffled by dirt and gravel, sounding oddly pitiable but still determined to get his own way. "You're the only one who can save Nunnally!"

"So I should just ignore the past and forgive you? Me and every one else – the people you've tricked, the people who've died thanks to you! What about Euphy? D'you want to make up for everything, Lelouch? Then bring her back. Bring Euphy back and prove that you, with all your selfishness and malice, can save the world!" Suzaku pressed down harder, until he could almost feel Lelouch's skull about to give. "You're Zero, the Miracle Worker, aren't you?"

Lelouch gasped in pain and spat thickly against the ground. "No miracles. Just strategy and stage production. Zero is a mask, a symbol; just a tool to tell lies."

"More excuses," Suzaku snapped, lifting his foot off Lelouch's head so he could drop to his knees and yank Lelouch up to look him in the eye. "If you're going to tell lies, then have the courage to tell them right up 'till the end!"

Lelouch's face was bloody and already bruising. He'd always had delicate skin. But his eyes fixed on Suzaku's without any trace of pain, as if there wasn't any room for something as unimportant as pain between the sorrow and regret and fear shining from them. "I can't return to the past," Lelouch said desperately. "I can't undo what's already been done."

It was nothing more than the truth. And that, coupled with the desperate grief in Lelouch's eyes, made Suzaku even more furious. He tossed Lelouch onto his back and stood, looking over him. "Why did you cast your _geass_ on me, to make me live?" He hadn't been able to follow Euphemia, or to atone for the lives he'd taken, or even to just leave this intolerable conflict behind. "It's corrupted my principles, turned me into _this_. _Why_?"

"To survive," Lelouch said dully.

"And why did you save me when I was accused of Prince Clovis's murder?"

"So the Japanese would trust me."

"And saving everyone from the hotel hijacking?"

"A dramatic Black Knights' debut."

Suzaku couldn't hide from it anymore. Lelouch should have looked resentful, proud; hurting but taking a cold satisfaction from his pain. Instead he looked like he was mired in regret, his eyes covered by the dull sheen that came from living a lie and having to hide his true self from everyone. Suzaku had seen that look before, in the mirror when he'd been a private in the Britannian army, hiding from his father's death. But Lelouch wasn't hiding from Zero. He was still carrying that burden.

He was hiding from something else, something Suzaku probably couldn't even understand.

"You can't run away from your lies," Suzaku said. He'd never felt freer than after Lelouch had found out about Suzaku murdering his father. After telling Kallen, and Euphemia. It had hurt but, for a while, Suzaku hadn't felt like he was living a lie. "There's only one thing you can do to redeem yourself for those lies." Lelouch couldn't come clean about being Zero. It was too dangerous, for him and for Nunnally. "You lied when you said you were a Knight of Justice. So now you have to _become_ a true Knight of Justice. Make your lies real, Lelouch, keep them until the very end, and then you can start atoning for all the things you've done."

"But… how?"

"Stop this war." Suzaku knelt down beside Lelouch. "You're Zero, and this is a job only Zero can do. Bring peace and happiness to the world, and I'll do my part. I'll save Nunnally."

Lelouch looked up at him, his eyes lighting with a glimmer of hope. "You'll save her?"

Suzaku reached out to him. "Let's work together, Lelouch, one last time. For her sake."

Lelouch tentatively held out his hand towards Suzaku's. "The two of us together…"

Their hands joined and Suzaku pulled Lelouch up. "Can accomplish anything." 

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It felt surreal, being beside Suzaku without the distracting tendrils of fear, all their lies out in the open.

Well. Most of their lies. Lelouch winced to himself as he thought of all the contingency plans he'd put into place; Rolo, the _geass_ he'd used on Guilford, the automatic message that would be sent out to Kaguya, Toudou, and Xing-ke in four hours if he didn't stop it.

But _most_ lies were out in the open. And that felt good. Lelouch had to admit that when he and Suzaku worked together, towards a common goal, their strengths made up for the other's weaknesses, a true partnership, with no one commanding or controlling anyone else, real equality.

"I need you to get me… to get Zero to Schneizel."

Suzaku frowned. "Why?"

…on the other hand, sometimes it would have been nice to just have his orders followed.

Some of his irritation must have shown, because Suzaku's hackles immediately shot up. "You don't need Prince Schneizel. Just pull your troops out and the war'll be over."

"The _battle_ will be over," Lelouch corrected, "not the war. You made me promise to deliver peace and _happiness_, Suzaku. How happy do you think your fellow _Elevens_ are being ruled over by Britannia?"

"Not very," Suzaku conceded. "How happy d'you think they'd be dead?"

Lelouch took a deep breath. "That's not the point. The point is that I can't just give up and leave everything the way it was. No one would be satisfied with that."

"The last time I let you alone with one of your half-siblings, thousands of people died."

"I have control now," Lelouch said. "What happened with Euphy won't happen again."

Suzaku hesitated, clearly weighing the risks and benefits, and then nodded slowly. "Alright, I won't leave you alone with him, but I'll take you to Prince Schneizel. I'm trusting you, Lelouch."

"That _was_ the deal," Lelouch retorted, refusing to admit how relieved he was at Suzaku, even half-hearted, trust.

Suzaku had taken a small transport rather than the rather less subtle Lancelot. Lelouch settled into the co-pilot seat as Suzaku started up the launch protocol. The Kururugi shrine was far enough away from active airfields that during a battle no air traffic controller would pay them any mind. Still, Suzaku went through all the motions, methodically following the rules.

It brought a fond smile to Lelouch's face, despite himself.

After taking off, Suzaku shot Lelouch a look out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

Lelouch realized he was still smiling. He schooled his face into a more appropriate expression. "Nothing."

Suzaku still looked suspicious, but he let it go. Lelouch leaned back and closed his eyes, bracing himself for dealing with Schneizel. He had the advantage of surprise, especially if Charles had hidden Lelouch's existence from Schneizel as well as from the rest of their siblings. But Schneizel had the advantage of being surrounded by his own men, while Lelouch only (barely) had Suzaku.

There were only a few scenarios that would end in Lelouch's favour, and they all had one thing in common.

"Lelouch?"

Lelouch flinched at Suzaku's innocently curious question. "Yes?"

"D'you think we can really do this?" He sounded uncertain, but there was a darker undercurrent in his voice, of suspicion and doubt. "I mean… we're… you've pretty much pulled us to the brink."

Lelouch breathed out a sigh of relief. It was just like Suzaku to ensure that the blame rested on Lelouch's shoulders, but as long as he was dwelling on that…

"It's possible," Lelouch answered. "Not easy. But getting us here wasn't easy either."

Suzaku shot him a look, and Lelouch met his gaze evenly. It _hadn't_ been easy, or without cost. Just because Suzaku didn't like the outcome, didn't mean that it hadn't taken effort.

"But you can do it," Suzaku said, looking away. It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

Lelouch smiled. "I can do it." As long as Suzaku remained focused on his resentment of Lelouch, and on the end goal, and didn't overthink the means.

Because Lelouch had no idea how to keep his promises if Suzaku clued into Lelouch's methods for getting them where they were, and forbid Lelouch from using them.

Stopping the imminent world war and freeing Japan would be hard enough as it was. If Lelouch couldn't use his _geass_, especially against Schneizel, they had no chance. 

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku landed on the deck of the _Avalon_, keeping his eyes on the controls to avoid looking at Lelouch.

It wasn't that he was having second thoughts, exactly. There was something about teaming up with Lelouch that seemed completely right, almost necessary.

Fated.

And, of course, it had been Nunnally who had brought them together. That seemed right too.

But there was too much between them. Euphemia and Shirley, Japan and Britannia, all the people who had died because of Zero and all the people Suzaku had killed as a soldier and then as a knight. Suzaku wanted to trust Lelouch, but there had been so many lies between them. And he desperately wanted Lelouch to trust him, but Suzaku was just as guilty of lying as Lelouch was.

"Knight of Seven, you're cleared."

"Thank you," Suzaku said, turning off the radio and power. There was no more avoiding it. He turned towards Lelouch.

Who was looking down at his pants. "Hmm…"

"What?"

Lelouch looked up. "I don't suppose you have something that would stand out less than this?" he asked. "Some lower-ranking grunt's uniform?"

"Ah." Suzaku immediately felt like an idiot; as he'd been dwelling on the past, Lelouch had been planning their future. He hadn't even thought about how it would look for him to come back with a school boy. "I think there are some extra flight suits somewhere in here… I'll try to find one that fits."

He rummaged through the supply closet and tried to focus on the here and now. Lelouch's past betrayals were something to keep in mind, always, but they couldn't stop Suzaku from doing what was needed out of an unjustified sense of suspicion.

"Here." Suzaku turned and handed Lelouch a grey mechanic's uniform. "This should be about your si–"

Lelouch was standing in his undershirt, his briefs, and his socks. Sure, he'd have had to change clothes, but Suzaku _really_ hadn't expected to turn around to see him standing brazenly half-naked. This was a far cry from the prudish, sensitive child Suzaku had met eight years ago.

Although the nose wrinkle at the scrubby clothes was the same.

"This is still going to stand out when we're not in the hanger."

Or maybe it wasn't at the clothes. Lelouch always did think five or six moves ahead. "It should be fine, as long as you're with me. Everyone knows I care more about my Knightmare than anything else."

Lelouch looked up at him then, for the first time since they'd landed, and his eyes were soft with… pity? Suzaku flushed. "Don't look like that. It's not like–"

"It's not like you haven't had any friends or allies, anyone who understood what you'd gone through, someone you could trust and rely on?" Lelouch asked gently, that pitying (sympathetic?) look still in his eyes. "It's not as if the only certainty in your life was your ability to fight for a cause you didn't even believe in, just so you could fight against me?"

"Don't be so self-centered," Suzaku said, utterly disgruntled. "It wasn't you I missed, it was Euphy. And I _did_ have people I trusted; Lloyd and Cecile, and Gino and Anya…"

"Then why aren't they here?" Lelouch asked, dressing in the silence that followed his question.

Suzaku didn't tell him that the last thing he wanted was for either Gino or Anya to get mixed up in this. He wasn't sure what Lelouch ultimately had planned, but he was sure that, somewhere along the lines, rules would be broken. He was more than willing to sacrifice his career (since he couldn't sacrifice his life anymore) for peace. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his friends'.

"Alright," Lelouch said when he was dressed, breaking the silence. "I'm ready. Bring me to Schneizel."

Suzaku looked him over. Lelouch made a thoroughly unconvincing mechanic; far too clean, with soft hands and long nails, carrying himself with the wrong kind of poise.

But likely no one would be looking him over as closely as Suzaku was. "Right. The bridge is towards the bow, and Schneizel's office is down there. We'll grab a folder or something so it looks like you're working."

Lelouch smiled. "Good idea."

For a long moment, Suzaku preened under the praise before leading the way. 

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The Avalon was laid out like any other Britannian airship, and by the time they reached the hallway to the bridge, Lelouch felt sure he could navigate on his own if he needed to.

Not, he kept reminding himself, that he'd ever need to. Not while he and Suzaku were allied.

He had to keep reminding himself that this was a _true_ alliance. He had taken Suzaku's hand in genuine fellow-feeling, and Suzaku wasn't the sort to use and manipulate people. This wasn't some kind of trap. It couldn't be. Not from Suzaku, and not using Nunnally and Euphemia as bait.

But the closer they got to Schneizel, the more nervous Lelouch became. He'd never matched Schneizel one-on-one when they'd been princes together, no matter how many times he'd tried. Of all his siblings, of all the people Lelouch had met and dealt with, Schneizel was the one person who Lelouch had never bested.

And if Suzaku changed his mind and decided that he didn't trust Lelouch to keep his promise after all…

"You okay?" Suzaku asked softly, sounding genuinely concerned.

Lelouch shook his head. "I always thought that when I finally confronted Schneizel it would be as Zero. I feel naked."

Suzaku made a sound that was half-snort, half-swallowed laugh, and Lelouch turned to glare at him. But the way Suzaku's eyes twinkled, like a mischievous teenager's, making Suzaku look no more than his age, quickly took the edge off Lelouch's irritation.

"Sorry, just the image of you standing in front of Prince Schneizel… naked…"

"Yes, I get it, Suzaku," Lelouch said dryly, but he had to admit his nerves had settled somewhat. "Can we just get this over with?"

Suzaku sobered up (mostly, his lips were still twitching) and nodded as they stopped in front of one of the cabin doors. Suzaku knocked. "Prince Schneizel?"

"Come in, Sir Kururugi."

That wasn't Schneizel's voice. Lelouch must have tensed, because Suzaku glanced over at him, looking concerned before his expression cleared. "That's just Kanon. He's Schneizel's aide."

Lelouch nodded and tried not to bristle at the thought that he was that easy to read. He took a deep breath and centered himself; this would be hard enough without exposing his confusion and nervousness so that even _Suzaku_ could read them.

"Ready?" Suzaku asked softly. Lelouch nodded and Suzaku opened the door and stepped through, leaving Lelouch to follow in his wake.

Kanon was a slim man who radiated elegance and competence. Lelouch had some vague memories of him from when he'd played chess against Schneizel in China. He hadn't made much of an impression then, although that could have been entirely purposeful. He carried the poise of the well-trained minor nobility, born lackeys and, at their best and brightest, an extra pair of eyes and ears for their more noble masters. His eyes glossed over Lelouch, uninterested, and came to rest on Suzaku impassively with just a hint of amusement. Lelouch hated him on sight.

But as easily as Kanon had dismissed Lelouch, Lelouch dismissed him in favour of assessing his brother. He'd seen Schneizel on various news and interview shows since his successes with the EU negotiations, and in person during the chess match that neither of them could claim to have won. But that had been when Lelouch was Zero. This would be the first time he'd confront Schneizel as himself, with no masks or lies to protect him.

It was necessary, but for a moment Lelouch hated Suzaku for making this happen.

Schneizel, unlike Kanon, was visibly curious about Suzaku's companion, although he still addressed Suzaku. "Are you here to explain why you went missing during a battle, Knight of Seven?"

Suzaku, to his credit, didn't back down. "I had other priorities, Your Highness. And I would remind you that, although you have taken over the defence of Area 11, as a Knight of the Round I answer to no one but the Emperor."

Rather than take offense, Schneizel hummed softly in agreement. "Then what brings you here, Sir Kururugi?"

Suzaku stepped back and looked at Lelouch. His eyes were hard and determined, his jaw set. "Go on." Lelouch swallowed hard, feeling surrounded by enemies, realizing that Suzaku would only support him as long as he was convinced that Lelouch was following their plans, that the trust that Lelouch had hoped for was still a long way away.

And yet, there was only one way to earn that trust.

Lelouch stepped forwards, meeting Schneizel's curious gaze.

"It's been a long time, Schneizel."

Schneizel hesitated a moment, his eyes narrowing before he clearly came to some kind of conclusion. "Nearly a decade. You've grown well, Lelouch."


	2. Peace

There was a long, tense pause before Lelouch smiled. "I wasn't sure how I'd be able to convince you. I should have known you'd figure it out on your own."

Schneizel smiled right back, circling his desk to stand in front of Lelouch. "I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't found Nunnally first. But we'd all hoped…" He loomed over Lelouch, his greater height and more impressive outfit both making Lelouch look small and shabby in comparison. But despite the visual dichotomy between the two brothers, there was nothing threatening about Schneizel's stance. In fact, this was probably the most relaxed and genuine Suzaku had ever seen him. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Japan, Area 11," Lelouch said, and Suzaku couldn't help but smile at the way Lelouch instinctively chose the name over the number. "Right where father abandoned us before he started an outright invasion."

Schneizel's expression was such an interesting mixture of affection and exasperation that Suzaku actually expected him to bend down and give Lelouch a hug. Fortunately for everyone's mental well-being, he simply sighed and shook his head. "You shouldn't jump to assumptions when you only know some of the story, Lelouch."

"I know what happened to me and to Nunnally. I know what happened to Japan and what's happening to the rest of the world. Just because I haven't been brainwashed with justifications and lectures on intrinsic inequality doesn't mean I'm naïve."

"It does mean you're uninformed," Schneizel said. "But no matter. You're back now. And you, Seven." Schneizel turned to Suzaku. "I assume you're here to reap your well-earned reward?"

Suzaku shook his head. "I'm just the middle-man, Your Highness. This is between you and Lelouch."

Schneizel's eyebrows flew up in a shocked expression so perfect it had to have been faked. "Lelouch, hmm? No honorifics, no titles? You were always so polite, Sir Kururugi, what could cause you to address someone so casually?"

Suzaku looked over at Lelouch who still looked like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way. Well, if he was _already_ upset…

"I've known Lelouch since we were children," Suzaku said calmly. "We played together, and survived the invasion together. More recently, we attended the same school, until I captured him and turned him in to your father. It's why the Emperor promoted me to the rank of Knight of Seven – I gave him Zero." Schneizel actually looked surprised for a moment, and Lelouch looked at Suzaku, _furious_.

Well, he _had_ said that peace had required Schneizel and Zero. Suzaku just wanted to help speed that along.

"Zero, my own younger brother; the Emperor's flesh and blood…" Schneizel leaned back, unconsciously putting space between himself and Lelouch as if the fraternal feelings were dampened by the knowledge that Lelouch was his enemy. "I feel as if I should be more surprised."

"I'm amazed you're surprised at all," Lelouch said, his eyes flickering towards the door like a cornered animal.

Suzaku's hand moved to his side, where his gun was holstered. True, he had pushed for this confrontation, and probably sooner than Lelouch had wanted, and he only half-trusted Lelouch at the most, but…

He'd given his word. This was the most delicate moment, and if Lelouch couldn't pull it off, Suzaku needed to be able to get him out of there and safe, if for no other reason than for his own sense of honour. It helped that Schneizel and Kanon were the only other people in the room. Suzaku was reasonably sure he could deal with the two of them long enough for Lelouch to get as much of a head start as he needed to escape.

And he would ensure that Lelouch could escape, even if it meant undermining the peace efforts.

Lelouch had walked, unarmed, into his enemies hands, twice; first with Suzaku, for Nunnally's sake, then with Schneizel, for Suzaku's sake. Even if he had to hunt him down after, Suzaku was determined to see Lelouch safe off the Avalon. It was the least he could do.

"No offers of amnesty?" Lelouch asked. "No openings for negotiation? I assure you, none of my followers have any idea that Zero is Lelouch vi Britannia, and you would have to torture me to get me to admit it."

Schneizel smiled. "I think there are ways. Most of Nunnally's retinue are loyal to the crown first, her second."

Suzaku's breath caught. Could they be putting Nunnally in _more_ danger here? Lelouch didn't seem to think so, or else he was better at hiding his reactions than even Suzaku believed him to be. Suzaku immediately revamped his plans – getting Lelouch out was suddenly taking second place priority to ensuring that Nunnally was safe. That was the one thing Lelouch had asked for, and Suzaku was determined to ensure he kept his end of the bargain.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch, meanwhile, was absolutely certain that Schneizel would be more than willing to act on his threat if he felt it necessary. But if Lelouch could pull this off, he wouldn't consider hurting Nunnally necessary ever again. "It needn't come down to that, Schneizel. I've come here willingly, at Suzaku's request, to try to stop the fighting."

"I'm always happier with a diplomatic solution than a military one," Schneizel conceded. "But our father–"

"Isn't here," Lelouch interrupted. "And, if I'm not mistaken, he doesn't really care one way or another about this."

There was a flicker of something on Schneizel's face; there, then gone. He shrugged. "He's left Area 11 and the war to me. As long as he has no issues with it, I'd be more than happy to negotiate a cease-fire."

"Not just Area 11," Lelouch said. "I'll pull back my troops here, and you'll pull back yours from the UFN territories. Half of Britannia's occupied Areas are waiting to revolt and, if the Black Knights don't fall here, Britannia will have to wage too many wars on too many fronts to maintain stability."

"But if Area 11 doesn't fall, those revolts won't happen," Schneizel pointed out.

Lelouch smirked. "You underestimate me, Schneizel. I've learned much since our last chess match. Tokyo is the board's king, and I've lived there almost half my life. I can assure you that, to win this battle, I'm willing and able to sacrifice it."

This was the crucial point. If Lelouch had overplayed his hand, if Schneizel was willing to call his bluff, then Lelouch would have to choose between possibly injuring or even killing Nunnally and Kallen or backing down. This was one of the reasons Lelouch had worked so hard to seem unconcerned about Nunnally's safety. He had to be seen to be willing to sacrifice _anything_ for his cause. As it stood, he certainly had the power to destroy Tokyo, one way or another, but the will to use that power with Nunnally in the line of fire… _that_ was the true bluff.

"You're more ruthless than I could have imagined," Schneizel said. He didn't sound critical at all. "Very well. A world-wide cease-fire between Britannia and the forces of the UFN."

Lelouch hid his relief with a brusque nod. "I'll arrange for a meeting tomorrow morning, if that's alright with you."

Schneizel nodded, smiling with the ease of a politician. "It shouldn't take more than a few hours to pull back from a dozen fronts."

He was being sarcastic. Lelouch knew exactly how long and how much effort it would take, but Kaguya and Tianzi, the two chief UFN delegates, wouldn't have anything to do with that, so they could prepare for tomorrow. Schneizel, on the other hand, had the unenviable task of dealing with his fellow royals and keeping them reined in. And then, no doubt, he would lead Britannia's delegation to the negotiating table.

Lelouch was counting on it.

Something in his expression must have piqued Schneizel's interest, because he turned to Suzaku. "Seven, we let Luciano out to play. You should probably help clean that up."

Suzaku shot Lelouch a guarded look. Lelouch wanted to scoff – after everything Suzaku had done, _now_ he was looking for Lelouch's cues?

Instead, he nodded. "Do whatever you feel you need to, Suzaku."

Suzaku hesitated, then bowed, first at Lelouch, then at Schneizel, and took his leave. Lelouch watched him go, feeling oddly bereft and alone as the door closed behind him.

Schneizel went back to his desk and rummaged around briefly for something. "Kanon, if you would…"

"Of course." Kanon smiled blandly at Lelouch, and then followed Suzaku out. Lelouch wasn't insensitive to that oddly trusting gesture, leaving them along in a room together, without checking Lelouch for weapons, but he wasn't sure why or what it meant.

In the next moment, as Schneizel handed Lelouch a small electronic pad, he had his answer. "What's this?" he looked down at the overly flowery cover image, no less confused. "Clovis's diary?"

"Read it when you have a moment," Schneizel said, and Lelouch couldn't tell if his voice was laden with kindness or cruelty. "I don't have anything of Euphy's, but you're allied with her former Knight. That should be enough." His soft words pierced through Lelouch's mental armour with skill and precision, hitting a mark Lelouch had thought thoroughly protected.

Regret. The one thing Lelouch had promised himself he'd never feel after his breakdown at fall of the SAZ. It was a useless, weak emotion. No one could turn back time, take back their own actions. All anyone could do was move forward. Guilt was something Lelouch could shoulder, something that taught him to be smarter, quicker, cleaner. But regret was a useless waste of energy, a world of 'could have's that could never be.

Still, he caressed the diary reverently, wondering what his elder brother, the man who'd been willing to destroy an entire ghetto out of spite at losing his prized prisoner, could have had to say before his death.

"I will." He looked up. "But there is something I want from you."

"Oh?" Schneizel's attention was taken by something on his desk screen, and he didn't look at Lelouch. "What might that be?"

Lelouch racked his brain for something that would get Schneizel to meet his eyes. "Kouzuki Kallen. The Guren's pilot."

Schneizel smiled at the screen. "Oh. Her. She's been treated well. The Knight of Three has taken quite a shining to her, as I understand."

"I want her back," Lelouch said bluntly. "Her and her Knightmare."

"And what are you prepared to offer in return?" Schneizel asked, his eyes finally meeting Lelouch's, the faint smirk of someone who knows he has the upper hand twisting his lips.

"Nothing." Lelouch removed his contact, feeling his _geass_ flare. "You'll release her simply because I want you to. Because, from now on, every action you take will be for _my_ benefit. You are no longer my opponent, Schneizel, you are my pawn. And you will hold nothing back from ensuring my goals are achieved."

For a moment, Lelouch wasn't sure if it had worked. Charles held the power of _geass_ as well, and it wasn't inconceivable that he'd shielded his favoured son from its powers.

But then Schneizel's eyes flared a reassuring red and he smiled. "Of course, Lelouch. Whatever you need."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Sir Kururugi!"

Suzaku hesitated just inside the small transport he'd commissioned to return to Area 11. "Sir Maldini?"

Kanon smiled as followed Suzaku in. "Mind if I accompany you? Prince Schneizel will have a great deal to do up here, and he'll need someone on the ground to act on his behalf."

"Sure," Suzaku said, buckling in. "We're going to the base, though, if that's okay."

Kanon nodded. "Fine, fine." Suzaku ran through the preflight and takeoff, and Kanon leaned back. "You need your Lancelot, after all, don't you?"

Suzaku frowned as he took off. The Lancelot was equipped with the FLEIJA, Nina's weapon of mass destruction. With Lelouch's _geass_ still active, Suzaku wasn't sure he could trust himself with something that dangerous.

Kanon didn't take his silence as any kind of cue to stop talking. "So, how long have you known Prince Lelouch was still alive?"

"Two years," Suzaku said, keeping his eyes set forward, as if flying a taxicab with wings took a significant amount of his attention.

Kanon snorted. "And how long have you known he was Zero?"

"Just over a year," Suzaku said. "I've been sure that this Zero was him for a few months."

"You should have come to us." Kanon's voice was surprisingly gentle, not angry at all. "This must have been a huge burden to carry on your own."

Of all the things Suzaku had braced himself for, he hadn't expected sympathy. "The Emperor knew."

"He's not very… hands on, in my experience," Kanon said carefully. "Schneizel has been doing most of the ruling on behalf of his father for the better part of a decade. Perhaps, if we'd have known, things would have ended up very differently."

Suzaku didn't doubt that. If he'd told Euphemia of his suspicions, or Cornelia…

He shook his head. He'd promised to focus on the future, with Lelouch. "Well, you know now. And, hopefully, now is soon enough to avert a total disaster."

"I supposed it depends on your definition of disaster. You were Princess Euphemia's Knight, were you not?"

Suzaku's grip tightened on the controls, making the transport lurch slightly. "Sorry. Sudden gust."

Kanon seemed to get that hint, and let it go. "Still, it almost seems poetic, to have lost one prince and one princess, only to have another pair appear in their places."

That just sounded callous. Suzaku had never met Clovis, but the idea of choosing between Euphemia and Nunnally…

"Do you have siblings, Sir Kururugi?"

Suzaku shook his head.

"Then you probably can't understand Prince Schneizel's joy or his grief. I understand that things move quickly in the real world, but such a surprise can be as much a shock as a delight. A little warning might have been appreciated."

"I apologize, I just…" Suzaku frowned. "Wait, is Prince Schneizel alone with Lelouch?"

Kanon shrugged. "You needn't worry over Prince Lelouch, he'll be well treated. They haven't seen each other in years. I assume they had some private matters to discuss."

They were almost at the base, and Suzaku could see the ongoing fighting, the damage and destruction and the people dying all around him. It was probably too late to go back in any case; if Lelouch had abused his trust, if Lelouch had just used him to get to Schneizel, there was nothing he could do about it now.

But it left a sour taste in his mouth as he and Kanon went their separate ways, Kanon to wherever Nunnally was being kept, Suzaku to the hanger.

The Lancelot was waiting for him, the weapon that had opened unimaginable doors, and doomed Suzaku to take life after life in the pursuit of peace.

How ironic that it was now adorned with the most vicious weapon ever devised.

"Suzaku-kun!" Cecile said, surprised to see him. "Has Sir Waldstein ordered you into the field?"

Suzaku shook his head. "I've come from Prince Schneizel directly. The situation has changed." He moved past Lloyd and Nina. "How long would it take to remove the FLEIJA from the Lancelot?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Just under an hour." Nina made a soft protesting sound.

"Too long," Suzaku muttered under his breath. "It's not ideal, but I'll have to risk it." He smiled at Cecile. "Don't worry. I won't make you ashamed of me."

"See that you don't," Lloyd huffed, but he sounded pleased. He'd never really wanted the Lancelot equipped with the FLEIJA in the first place. "And try not to make too much work for us either."

"Understood." Suzaku slipped into the Lancelot's cockpit and felt him body and mind fully wake as the Knightmare charged up. "Lancelot, launching!"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Rolo, what's your status?" Lelouch demanded as he landed where he'd hid Zero's costume near the Kururugi shrine.

"Ready to go," Rolo said, as efficient as ever.

Lelouch nodded, pleased. "We're aborting your mission. Both Nunnally and Kallen have been taken care of. You and Sayoko need to go to ground, in case something unforeseen happens."

"You're sure, nii-san?" Rolo asked uncertainly. "I know you went to Kururugi, but he's not family. Can you trust him?"

_He's more family than you, you little brat_, Lelouch didn't say. "Suzaku is, and always was, a contingency plan. I've made more assurances than him since then. I need you elsewhere, Rolo." He softened his voice. "And you know how much I hate exposing you to unnecessary violence."

"Understood. We'll await further orders."

Lelouch smiled and ran through the other plans that would no longer be needed now that he had Schneizel. Guilford's _geass_ wasn't a problem, and could still be useful; the geffion disturbers around Tokyo would have to be dismantled, as would the explosives placed around the city; and Suzaku…

Lelouch had no real idea what to do about Suzaku. If he found out about Schneizel, he would be Lelouch's enemy again. But, with his _geass_, he was literally impossible to kill. Not that Lelouch wanted to. In fact, the thought turned his stomach. He hadn't saved Suzaku just to try to end his life for convenience's sake.

He'd worry about it later. For now, he had a war to avert.

He kept Clovis's diary tucked away in his suit, and took out his communicator. "Toudou."

"Is it time, Zero?"

"We're pulling back. Prince Schneizel is willing to negotiate in good faith with the UFN."

Toudou frowned. "How…"

"It's Kururugi's doing," Lelouch said, honestly. "I haven't always agreed with his methods, but he claims to have always been fighting for peace and Japan. Either way, we now have the ear of a Britannian Prince."

Toudou's harsh expression softened. "This will be a hard sell for Xingke."

"Leave him to me," Lelouch said. "For now, keep your people calm and stand down."

The next person Lelouch called was Jeremiah. "I need the Shinkiro. Do you have a fix on my location?"

"I'm on my way, Your Highness!" Jeremiah promised, without needing an explanation. There were times when Lelouch really appreciated him.

He started to open a line to Xingke, when he saw a flash of white. Suzaku had joined the fray.

"The White Knight in shining armour," Lelouch muttered, unable to stop himself from smiling. He shook his head fondly and returned to his duty.

"Zero, we're being pressed on the northern front," Xingke said the moment Lelouch connected to him. "Toudou's reinforcements–"

"Will not be necessary," Lelouch interrupted smoothly. "We're withdrawing. I need you to coordinate a measured, steady retreat. I don't want any more deaths than necessary out there."

The line was silent, save for the crackle of static. "We can take the upper hand," Xingke insisted. "This is still a winnable engagement."

"I know." Between the traps set in Tokyo and the _Ikaruga_'s reinforcements, Lelouch could easily see a Black Knight victory. But it was far from certain, even without Suzaku against them. "But this isn't just war, Xingke. This is also politics." Xingke didn't protest that. "We're withdrawing with the promise of a diplomatic settlement. I trust Kaguya-dono and Tianzi to do their best for us. So much so, that I'm willing to leave our future in their hands."

Xingke sighed. "Understood. We'll fall back to Liaodong and await further orders there."

Lelouch nodded. Now, for his final trick… "Kaguya-dono."

"Zero-sama!" Kaguya beamed at him from the communicator. "How is everything going?"

"It's taken something of a turn…" Lelouch said. "I'm going to need to impose upon you and Tianzi from here on out."

Kaguya was many things. Slow was not one of them. "This is a departure from your usual tactics, Zero," she said. Lelouch couldn't tell if she was pleased or disappointed – she had always admired Zero's avid passion for fighting for Japan, but she knew better than most the power of words over swords.

"Your cousin made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Lelouch said honestly. He'd never mentioned their relationship before, and it made Kaguya's eyes widen just a little.

"Suzaku was always meant to serve Japan…" Kaguya trailed off thoughtfully. "Alright, Zero. We've got your back." She grinned cheerfully. "Let's free Japan and the world from Britannia's tyranny!"


	3. Negotiations

Being a Knight of the Round usually carried a considerable amount of weight.

Usually, however, there weren't four other Knights of the Round on the field at the same time as Suzaku.

And, more importantly, usually the Knight of One wasn't commanding the Britannian fleet.

"Prince Schneizel has ordered–"

"I've heard His Highness's plan, Sir Kururugi. But until I hear from His Majesty, we will continue to defend Area 11."

Suzaku bit back a sigh. "Sir, the Black Knights are retreating! Zero has kept his end of the bargain. If we continue this fight, we'll just be slaughtering them while they're not fighting back…"

Sir Waldstein shook his head, scowling angrily. "Sir Kururugi, are you Prince Schneizel's man, or the Emperor's?"

_Neither_, Suzaku thought rebelliously. He'd been Euphemia's when she'd asked him, but before and since then, he'd served Britannia as a son of Japan, for Japan's sake. No matter what Lelouch thought of his service, Suzaku had never turned his back on his own people.

"You are a Knight of the Round. You've sworn an oath to Charles zi Britannia that should override all other loyalties. If you have a problem with that, you're free to renounce your noble rank to be hunted down as a traitor."

That was true enough. On the battlefield, only the Knight of One or the Emperor himself could order a Knight of the Round. Even Princes and Princesses had no standing. Schneizel could make suggestions, and they would be given an enormous amount of weight, but Suzaku and the other Knights didn't answer to him.

He answered, however, to Bismark Waldstein.

Suzaku took a deep breath. "Sir, I respect and admire you. And my oaths haven't been broken." _Yet_. "But Zero has agreed to this, as has Prince Schneizel, in whom the Emperor has allotted a great deal of authority over the Empire itself. I can't, in good conscience, turn my back on this opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Sir Waldstein asked shrewdly. "The opportunity for Britannia, or for Japan?"

Suzaku set his jaw. "The opportunity for peace, sir." There was no point in continuing to talk. "If you won't order the retreat, I will." And he'd deal with the Knights of the Round already on the field, one way or another, on his own.

"This will be remembered, Kururugi," Bismark said. He sounded oddly satisfied, as if he'd just won a bet with himself.

Suzaku moved onto the battlefield itself, barking out orders to pull back, to return to base, to let the Black Knights retreat safely. There were some commanders who balked at his orders, who attempted to go over his head and contact Sir Waldstein, but the Avalon's communications had been cut just after Suzaku's conversation with the Knight of One, to allow Schneizel to organize the withdrawal of the Britannian troops from the UFN countries.

Grudgingly, most of the regular forces followed Suzaku's orders. Still grounded, Gino and Anya cheerfully radioed in to Suzaku that they were staying put, and let him know that Nunnally was protected and being moved back to the secured areas of the base, now that the Black Knights were no longer an imminent threat. Suzaku breathed out a sigh of relief that his promise to Lelouch was being kept, and turned to his last major problem on the field.

"Sir Bradley. Prince Schneizel has ordered us to allow the Black Knights to retreat."

Luciano's bark of derisive laughter made Suzaku's shoulders tense up. "The Prince is in no position to deny me such good sport!" He shot down two more retreating Black Knights, cackling as he did so. "They should know better than to present the nape of their necks to the Vampire of Britannia!"

Suzaku's fingers ached to launch at his 'ally'. "This is your last warning, Luciano. Fall back!"

"Over my dead body!"

A flash of red caught Suzaku's attention out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly the Guren was there, like a crimson angel, complete with translucent wings. Luciano's Knightmare's head was caught neatly in its right hand.

"Doable."

Suzaku had seen Kallen use the radiation wave unit before. He'd never seen it so effortlessly destroy another Knightmare, though.

It was almost anticlimactic.

"I'm leaving now," Kallen said, as the remains of the Percival fell to the ground. "Okay, Suzaku?"

Suzaku breathed out. "Okay, Kallen."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The Shinkiro landed beside Lelouch, and Jeremiah let down a cord to lift Lelouch up to the cockpit.

"How is the withdrawal going?" Lelouch asked as he keyed in his code and unlocked the Shinkiro's defence system.

"Well," Jeremiah answered. "Kururugi has taken the reins of power as ably as possible, and Kouzuki has returned to the field. By the time we arrive, it's likely that the fighting will be completely over."

That was good timing. The last thing Lelouch wanted to do was end up dead just before the finish line. "Then we'll return straight to the _Ikaruga_."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Kallen just beat them there, looking none the worse for wear after her captivity, apart from the pink ballgown she'd been fighting in.

Lelouch allowed himself to smile behind the mask. "They didn't offer you a flightsuit?"

"Like I'd take a Britannian uniform," Kallen shot back, falling easily into step beside Lelouch. "What are you thinking, Zero?"

"We'll discuss that when we gather everyone together," Lelouch said. "For now, all I can ask is that you trust that I'm still doing this for Japan."

"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Kallen muttered, veering off to her bunk to get changed while Lelouch organized a meeting of every high-ranking UFN and Black Knight that could attend.

Everyone, even Kallen, looked exhausted. As they should be – they were fresh off the field of battle. Lelouch kept his explanation simple; "Prince Schneizel has offered to meet us as equals at the negotiating table. He has the authority of the Empire behind him and, as our allies from the former EU can testify, has ratified treaties on his own in the past. It's our best chance for peace and reconciliation. If, however, it's vengeance you're looking for, I'll lead the Black Knights back onto the battlefield at once."

Even with fatigue rolling off them in waves, the Black Knights hesitated. It was Kaguya who spoke up first. "Peace is what we had, Zero. The peace of the occupied and enslaved. What we were fighting for was freedom. How likely is Prince Schneizel to grant us _that_?"

Extremely likely, with Lelouch's _geass_ active. "Schneizel knows the cost of ongoing war, and the rewards of favourable peace. It won't be cheap, Britannia's energy needs require enormous amounts of _sakuradite_, but it can be accomplished without further bloodshed."

"And what about you?" Kallen asked. "What are you planning on doing once Japan is liberated?"

She wasn't asking Zero, she was asking Lelouch. Lelouch would have preferred that she ask him privately, but it was too late for that now. "My responsibilities don't end with this battle, Kallen." To anyone else, that would sound like Zero was pledging to remain CEO of the Black Knights. To Kallen, or the former C.C., it meant nothing, as Lelouch's responsibilities didn't always mirror Zero's.

Indeed, Kallen didn't look satisfied. Neither did Xingke. "This won't end with Area 11. Unless the Emperor is willing to risk the loss of the rest of the Areas, the war isn't over."

"The Emperor…" Lelouch set his jaw behind his mask. "The Emperor will be dealt with in time. Until then, the Prime Minister is willing to deal. I can only recommend _strongly_ that we take advantage of this opportunity. If, however, the UFN prefers spending the lives of its soldiers to negotiating with its resources, then the Black Knights will follow their will."

Phrased like that, there was only one possible response.

"We'll open talks, Zero," Kaguya assured him. "But keep the Black Knights on standby. This may be the best plan, but it's still a gamble."

True, but Lelouch had stacked the odds as far in their favour as he could. With this done, he had no more need of the Black Knights.

He'd upgraded to Schneizel, the one man both Clovis and Cornelia agreed would have the answers Lelouch sought, as well as the power to take down the cruel and corrupt Empire Lelouch loathed.

All thanks to Suzaku's wide-eyed demands for peace.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Once the last of the Black Knights and Britannian soldiers had left the field, as soon as the Avalon had landed, Suzaku returned to the base, determined to ensure that Nunnally was safe.

She may not have known it, but her life was the only thing standing between this tentative peace and all-out war.

The hanger was bustling with engineers and pilots going over their Knightmares, assessing battle damage. Suzaku's Lancelot had been essentially untouched, and he left it for Lloyd and Cecile to get to once they had the chance, leaving orders for the FLEIJA to be removed at their earliest opportunity. With the loss of the Percival and Luciano, they might have had their hands filled, if they'd been expected to design another eighth-generation Knightmare for a new Knight of the Round.

Suzaku regretted precisely nothing about letting Kallen go after she'd taken that monster out.

He moved between the harried groups of people, only paying them scant attention until something familiar caught his eye.

"…Rolo?"

If the boy hadn't frozen, his shoulders hunching as he tensed, Suzaku might have thought he'd been mistaken. Despite his smaller stature than most of the other unremarkable people rushing to and fro in the hanger, there hadn't been much more than a flash of soft brown hair and that odd reddish-purple eye colour.

But he _had_ tensed, and Suzaku felt his pulse speed up; Rolo had been turned by Lelouch, that was clear enough after the Black Knights' attack on the Geass Order's hidden base in China. But he was still an assassin. What was he doing _here_?

Suzaku kept one hand close by his firearm as he moved towards Rolo. "Has Lelouch ordered you to ki–"

Between one blink and the next, Suzaku found himself face-to-face with Rolo, his gun pressing against Rolo's temple, the bones of Rolo's wrist held so tightly in Suzaku's free hand that he could feel them move against each other. "What…"

Rolo gasped, clutching his chest with his left hand as the knife he'd been holding in his right clattered against the floor. "How did you do that?"

A year ago, Suzaku would have had no idea what had happened. Now, at least, he had a few guesses. "Did Lelouch use his _geass_ on you?" If Suzaku could move to protect himself without knowing it, then perhaps Rolo had something similar…

Rolo laughed. "My _geass_ has nothing to do with nii-san. But you…"

That made a disturbing amount of sense; how Rolo could have been such an accomplished assassin at such a young age, why he'd been sent after Lelouch, who had a _geass_ of his own. It had only been the _geass_ placed on Suzaku to live that had saved him from whatever Rolo had been able to do. And they both seemed to know it.

"I have Lelouch's protection," Suzaku said, gamely bluffing as hard as he could. "We're on the same side."

Rolo didn't look convinced, but he wasn't exactly in a position to do anything but nod. Suzaku released him and holstered his gun as Rolo rubbed life back into his wrist.

"So that's why nii-san didn't want me to kill you at Ashford," Rolo muttered to himself. "He was protecting _me._" He looked strangely heartened by that.

Suzaku decided not to react. "What are you here for?"

"Lelouch wanted me to get Viceroy Nunnally out of the line of fire," Rolo said. "Then he changed his mind."

"Ah." Of course Lelouch wouldn't have just relied on Suzaku. "And now?"

"I'm staying here in case he needs me here. Sayoko's returned to Tokyo proper, in case Lelouch needs someone there."

Sayoko? The maid? Suzaku felt like he had a lot of catching up to do. "Is Nunnally safe?"

Rolo shrugged. "She's unharmed, and still guarded by Britannian soldiers."

So she was safe unless the Emperor ordered his Knights to move against her. Suzaku hoped that Gino or Anya would hesitate and come to him first if they were ordered to hurt Nunnally, but he was pretty sure Bismark wouldn't. "I'll keep her safe."

For a moment, Rolo's eyes flashed and his lip curled in something that looked like hatred. The expression was gone in an instant, but Suzaku had seen it, and was surprised by the force of emotion there.

This was the boy Lelouch had trusted with his sister, a boy who seemed to revile her.

Not for the first time, Suzaku strongly questioned Lelouch's judgement.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Do you have clearance to be here?"

Lelouch removed his contacts. "I do. Please take us immediately to Prince Schneizel."

"At once, sir!"

C.C. clutched at Lelouch's hand, huddling behind him awkwardly as they moved through the Viceroy's Palace, where Schneizel had just taken up residence. No one paid them much attention, with the chaos of the battle's aftermath and the clear escort they had. Even as they entered the more secure area that housed the royal living suites and offices, they were allowed passage with only the minimal amount of questions.

Lelouch was still technically wearing his Zero costume, only the bottom layers. Apparently purple pants and a tight black sleeveless turtleneck weren't out of place here. C.C. was also dressed rather conservatively for her, still wearing the white shorts and tank top under a pale pink dress, with only the white boots showing of her usual outfit.

They blended in, but C.C.'s lack of comfort was even higher as she tugged on her unfamiliar sleeves.

The guard stopped in front of a door and knocked. Lelouch waved him off. "That will do."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Lelouch pushed the door open and swept into the room, dragging C.C. behind him.

Kanon looked up from the tablet he was working on, while Schneizel continued with a quiet conversation behind his desk. C.C. hid behind Lelouch as the door closed and Kanon approached them.

"Your terms have been met. Prince Schneizel is just now finishing with the North Africa deployment, and all the Britannian forces will have withdrawn within the hour. What are you doing back here?"

Lelouch managed to put on the proper aloof expression appropriate for talking with 'the help'. "I need to talk to my brother."

"About her?" Kanon asked, raising an eyebrow at C.C.

Lelouch shrugged. "Among other things." Schneizel ended his phone call and Lelouch raised his voice. "Privately."

Schneizel took the hint. "Kanon, give us a few minutes." Kanon bowed and backed out of the room, grudgingly but gracefully.

"Odysseus is a little suspicious, but he's willing to follow me until father countermands my orders. It's a good thing Cornelia isn't around."

Lelouch had to agree. "She's being held on the _Ikaruga_ for now. I haven't decided what to do with her yet. More importantly, I need to talk to you about my mother."

"Marianne." Schneizel's eyes blazed red for a moment, then he relaxed. "What would you like to ask?"

"You disposed of her body?" Lelouch asked. Schneizel nodded. "Why? How come the Emperor asked you to do something so unimportant?"

Schneizel shrugged. "He didn't want her buried. That was when he started holing himself away in the palace chapel rather than focusing his attention on ruling his Empire. Her loss affected him far more than he made it seem, Lelouch."

Lelouch hadn't wanted to hear how his mother's death had affected his _father_. If he'd loved her so much, why had he exiled her children at his earliest opportunity? And to a country he was planning on invading. "So he didn't want to bury her." Maybe he hadn't wanted his commoner wife to contaminate his mausoleum of nobles. "Who killed her?"

"We don't know. I can tell you this much; it wasn't rebels. The attack came from inside the palace itself. One of the other queens, perhaps. Cornelia did investigate, but she never found anything."

Was that all? All that work, to find that Schneizel knew barely more than Clovis or Cornelia. "You know nothing?"

"I know that father exiled you and Nunnally because he was worried about your safety inside the Ares Villa. I know that he spent more time with Marianne that with his other queens. I know that Zero was one of the first things he paid attention to since Marianne's death."

That was oddly flattering, but Lelouch had the idea that it was more about Clovis's death or the _geass_ Zero had. From what Lelouch had gleaned before C.C. had lost her memory, Charles was very interested in C.C.

Speaking of… "If you can't give me more information about my mother, then I charge you at least with guarding this woman." Lelouch pulled C.C. forward. "She's important. I want her kept safe and away from any conflict."

Schneizel looked C.C. over and smiled. "Easy enough. We'll just say she's Kanon's mistress."

"Kanon's…"

"Everyone will assume she's mine, but that I'm not willing to give her the protection and weight of my recognition, so she's not important enough to assassinate. The perfect balance of privileged and useless."

Lelouch had to admit; that described C.C. in a nutshell.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Why do you think Zero agreed to peace this time, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked after they were left alone.

Suzaku looked away from her, despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "Probably for several complicated reasons." It was best not to lie to Nunnally, she could sense it, but he needed to obfuscate a little.

"Do you think he'll keep his word?"

"I hope so."

Nunnally smiled and held out her hand. It had been a while since Suzaku had nestled her tiny palm on his, and he'd forgotten how delicate it felt. "Nunnally…"

"You're still so troubled, Suzaku. I wish I could help."

"You already have!" Suzaku insisted. "You still believed in Euphy even though…" he trailed off. "You've done so much for the people of Area 11, with no recognition. And you've given up so much. That you haven't lost yourself to hatred and anger is a huge inspiration, Nunnally."

Nunnally's smile gentled. "It's because I have so many things and people that are important to me. You have important people too, don't you, Suzaku? People you want to protect?"

He did. Japan, Britannia, Nunnally, even Lelouch. The students at Ashford, Gino and Anya, Kaguya and Kallen. Suzaku had cursed his powerlessness before, even while bowing to his orders. Now, he had no excuses, and beside Lelouch he could actually protect all of them.

"You're right, of course. As long as I can stop myself from being selfish…"

Nunnally covered his hand with her own, squeezing once before releasing him. "You let me have faith in Zero, and stopped his betrayal from turning into another massacre. You can trust yourself, Suzaku."

"Thanks, Nunnally." It had been close, but even with the recriminations he'd suffered after Zero's million followers had been 'exiled' from Japan, Suzaku was comforted by the fact that he hadn't allowed his need for answers, for revenge, to recreate Euphy's legacy in full. And since then, Nunnally had made significant headway in equalizing Area 11.

Lelouch was going to take that away from her, when he took Japan away from Britannia. It was an unfortunate, but necessary, sacrifice.

"I think I'll sleep for a while," Nunnally said. "This has been an exhausting few days."

Suzaku nodded. "Call for me when you wake up." He wasn't going to leave her alone until he knew she was safe. He bowed and backed out of her room, closing the door carefully behind him and turning towards…

"_Lelouch_?"

Lelouch, dressed in casual clothes with a schoolbag slung over his shoulder (and C.C., whose head poked out of the room three doors down from Nunnally's) looked up, surprised. "Suzaku. I can explain…"

"What are you–" Suddenly aware of how exposed they were, Suzaku stormed down the hall, pushing Lelouch and C.C. into the room and slamming the door behind them. "You could be recognized! And what is _she_ doing here?"

C.C. ducked behind Lelouch, her eyes looking up at Suzaku, huge and scared.

Lelouch looked between them. "You know each other?"

"V.V. told me all about her and her connection to you," Suzaku spat. "I know she's the one to blame for all this." C.C. trembled, and Lelouch unconsciously stroked his hand over her hair, like when he'd calmed Nunnally when they were kids. Seeing that made Suzaku incensed. "I can't believe you're letting this witch near Nunnally!"

C.C. whimpered and Lelouch shot Suzaku a withering glare. "You think you know far more than you do, Suzaku. Whatever C.C.'s done in the past, right now she's not a threat and she's under my protection."

"Your protection?" Suzaku shot back. "What does that even mean, here surrounded by Britannian soldiers? You're not Zero here, and no one's intimidated by you."

"_Schneizel's_ protection, then!" Lelouch said.

Suzaku stared at him. "You did it, didn't you?"

"…what?"

"You wouldn't be this comfortable leaving _that_ here, within Schneizel's reach, unless you'd used your _geass_ on him."

Lelouch finally backed down, his eyes dropping almost in shame. "I…"

"_Dammit_, Lelouch! That wasn't part of the deal."

"It wasn't explicitly disallowed either!" Lelouch snapped, as if he'd been ready for this fight and had already prepared. Suzaku took a deep breath to snap back, ignoring the way C.C. cringed.

"…am I interrupting something?" Schneizel asked from the door.

Perfect.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch immediately took advantage of Schneizel's arrival to try to stall the argument. "Nothing. The room is perfectly adequate. C.C. and I will stay here for the night, but I'll return to the Black Knights tomorrow. Have food delivered at regular intervals, please."

"Of course."

Suzaku snorted. "It's like you're keeping her prisoner."

"I'm keeping her protected. And what do you care, anyway?" Lelouch said, keeping his temper better in front of his brother. "You have one job, Suzaku. Keep Nunnally safe while I deal with everything else."

"Well, what if Nunnally sees you or C.C.?" Both Schneizel and Lelouch turned to Suzaku, who slowly turned pink as he realized what he'd said. "I mean… what if she _finds out_ you're here?"

Lelouch shrugged. "I won't be here long." Suzaku didn't look satisfied with that.

"Have you planned for that?" Schneizel asked diffidently. "Nunnally finding out you're Zero?"

Lelouch felt as if cold water had been poured down his back. He'd managed to keep Zero a secret from Nunnally while they'd lived together through a series of half-truths and outright lies, aided by Nunnally's faith in him. When Suzaku had ambushed him, after his memories had returned, with a phone call to Nunnally, Lelouch had even managed to talk with her without revealing his identity. She knew he was alive and somewhere 'out there', but she didn't know what he was doing.

And Lelouch had intended to keep it that way, indefinitely.

Suzaku gave him a cool, almost cruel, smile. "Didn't think that far ahead, did you?"

Schneizel looked between them in exasperation. "This is no joking matter. She'll find out eventually."

"I know!" Lelouch snapped. "I… I know." Except… "Unless we take Zero out of the equation completely."

"No, master!" C.C. cried out suddenly, rushing up to Lelouch. "You mustn't kill yourself. There has to be a better way."

It was worth it for the look of confused horror on Suzaku's face as C.C. clung to Lelouch's arm. Schneizel just smiled benignly.

Lelouch untangled himself from C.C., giving her a reassuring pat on her head. "I wasn't thinking of that. I was thinking that to maintain the peace, we need something for the world to latch onto, for the populous to fear. Something… some_one_ that will be so demonized and hated that the thought of war will be synonymous with the thought of _him_. An everlasting peace, as long as tales are told of his villainy."

"That's… actually not a bad idea," Suzaku said, sounding admiring.

"I'd thought of father for that role," Schneizel said. Of course, _he_ would have thought this through as well. "Or, it needn't be a person at all. The Damocles project is showing significant potential. All it would take would be the detonation of a few FLEIJAs; ten, at most fifty, thousand deaths. The specs…"

Lelouch was already shaking his head. "It can't be a _thing_. People don't work that way. They fear the boogieman, not the car crash. And father is already loved in Britannia." He pursed his lips. "Odysseus isn't…"

"He's a good man, Lelouch," Schneizel said. "Weak, basically a patsy, but a good man. Your goals don't include making victims of innocents. Not anymore."

Damn him, he was right. But that more or less ruled out using FLEIJAs. Lelouch knew full well what the _theoretical_ damage a nuclear bomb could do; he had no interest in finding out what that meant in reality.

"Euphy would make a good demon," Schneizel said thoughtfully. "She's already nearly universally hated."

Lelouch wasn't quite fast enough to hold Suzaku back from grabbing Schneizel by the collar, dragging him until they were face-to-face, noses less than an inch away. "What did you just say?"

"Calm down, Suzaku." Lelouch turned to Schneizel. "Euphy and Nunnally are _both_ off limits."

"Then it's either father, or we'll turn Zero into the demon."

Suzaku slowly released Schneizel. "It should be the Emperor."

Lelouch frowned. "But if Zero–"

"No." Suzaku said, facing Lelouch. "You're not getting out of this that easily. You're going to be Zero until there's lasting peace. That's what you promised."

"But–"

Suzaku stood up. "Lelouch. Come with me?"

Lelouch hesitated a moment, then nodded and took Suzaku's offered hand.


	4. Cohesion

Suzaku led Lelouch to his room, two floors away from the royal suites. Lelouch came willingly enough, seemingly more suspicious of the people they passed than he was of Suzaku.

And why shouldn't he be? While they'd started off arguing, even fighting, they'd ended with a consensus. And a three-way consensus with Schneizel, no less, who had been a pleasant surprise. Suzaku had expected Lelouch to have turned Schneizel into a zombie or a puppet, but he seemed just as conniving and clever and compassionate as ever, only his skills were turned to Lelouch's service. Suzaku shuddered – that still creeped him out.

At least Suzaku had been allowed to use his _geass_ wherever he wanted to, and had even learned to work with it over the past few months. Although perhaps Schneizel still might be able to get to that point, especially if he ended up actually agreeing with Lelouch's plans and goals, and likely more quickly than Suzaku had managed. Lelouch seemed to have chosen well, keeping Schneizel's native abilities unchanged and using them to his advantage.

It was more like _shougi_ than chess, with Lelouch capturing, then dropping Schneizel back onto the board, only now on his side.

Apparently, Japan had influenced Lelouch in his time there.

The moment they were in Suzaku's room, Lelouch turned to him, more curious than upset. "What do you want, Suzaku?"

With the door closed, alone with Lelouch, Suzaku let all of his masks drop. "No more surprises, Lelouch. Creating a monster, using Schneizel, bringing C.C. _here_… We were supposed to do this _together_, remember?"

Lelouch looked away, his jaw set in a resentful sulk. "You don't want to know. You don't want to make the decisions that need to be made, the choices, the sacrifices. You want some sort of magic ending where everyone just does the right thing. People don't _do_ the right thing on their own, Suzaku. They act selfishly, for their own short-term gain. A happy ending has to be hard-earned, and it has to cost something. Schneizel wanted peace as well, as much as we did. He's paying for it with his free will. C.C.'s lost her memories and identity, Nunnally lost me, and you and I've both lost Euphy in the search for peace."

Suzaku was more surprised than Lelouch was when he lashed out, backhanding Lelouch into the wall. Lelouch caught himself before he fell, protecting his cheek. Suzaku could see (and feel on the back of his hand), the make-up that covered Lelouch's face, and probably had since their confrontation that morning at the Kururugi shrine.

"Sorry, I…" Euphemia was still a sore spot for Suzaku, but the reminder of how bruised and battered Lelouch was under his cover-up, made shame well up in Suzaku's stomach. He was still too quick to react, too slow to question, to really _listen_ when Lelouch spoke. He'd lied before, trying to hide his regret and shame, and Suzaku had only seen that when it was almost too late. But, then again, he'd promised not to use his _geass_…

…no. He hadn't said that. He'd said that what had happened with Euphemia wouldn't happen again. He'd said that he had control now.

And Suzaku had almost missed it, again.

"You never meant to turn Euphy into the Genocide Princess, did you?"

Lelouch, still cupping the cheek Suzaku had hit, looked at Suzaku with guarded eyes. "I told you–"

"I swear, Lelouch, if you lie one more time about this, I will have you blindfolded and chained in the Emperor's secret dungeons until you rot. What happened with Euphy?"

Lelouch hesitated for a long moment, looking at Suzaku as if trying to see how serious Suzaku was, or what he could get away with. Suzaku was _very_ serious, and didn't intend to let Lelouch get away with anything. Lelouch, clearly understanding that, huffed and stood up, putting on his cloak of arrogance to hide his shame.

"That girl. She could talk an Eskimo into buying ice." Lelouch shook his head, ruefully. "Originally, I was going to have her 'assassinate' me, then made a miraculous recovery. She would be lauded by Britannians for taking such an opportunity, even if it failed, and reviled by the Japanese for her betrayal. She wouldn't have even remembered doing it. The conflict would have continued as if she'd never shown up with her promise of a more gilded cage, only the hatred on both sides would have been stronger."

"But that didn't happen."

"It was for Nunnally, you see. Everything Euphy was doing, it was so that Nunnally could be safe and happy. And I couldn't say no."

Suzaku frowned. "You _agreed_ to the SAZ?"

"I told myself there would be other ways. I had no idea my father had his own _geass_. I could… I could give them Japan. You'd be happy, they'd be happy. And I'd leave." Lelouch looked away. "But then I lost control of my _geass_. C.C. said that happens, it evolves. A slip of the tongue, and all Euphy could think about was killing all the Japanese." _Including Suzaku_.

"An accident?" Suzaku was stunned. Euphemia had fought, all the way to the end, but there was no way she could have won. Suzaku had a _geass_ of his own, and he knew that eventually her will would have been overwhelmed. She had looked tormented, torn, until she died.

And then she'd looked peaceful. As if death had taken all that away. Lelouch had done that as well. The _geass_ might have been accidental, but Lelouch had shot her point-blank, on purpose. And he'd shot to kill. He'd fixed his mistake the only way he knew how, and if Euphy's _geass_ weighed on his shoulders, her death must just have made it all the heavier.

And then Lelouch had lied about it, certain that no one would understand or believe him. No, certain that _Suzaku_ would never understand or believe him.

Even now, he looked at Suzaku as if he was expecting to be called a liar, as if he was expecting Suzaku to hit him. Again. And that, more than anything else, convinced Suzaku that Lelouch was telling the truth this time. And that he'd suffered from Euphy's loss as well.

And that, until now, he'd suffered alone.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch shifted awkwardly and Suzaku looked up at him. His eyes were softer than Lelouch could remember since…

Since they'd worked together to rescue Nunnally and Suzaku had revealed that he'd killed his father.

Suzaku turned away, towards the bed. "Go, get cleaned up." He waved towards the bathroom. It wasn't absolution, it wasn't even addressing anything Lelouch had told him, but at least it was a gesture of care. Lelouch hesitated, then ducked his head and did as he was told. His expression, when he looked into the mirror, was just as soft as Suzaku's had been, hopeful and wide-eyed and a little teary.

He clenched his fists until they hurt and glared at his reflection until it hardened. He couldn't afford this right now.

His face was a little dirty, and required some scrubbing. After washing, however, the scrapes and bruises from Suzaku grinding his head into gravel and punching him stood out starkly against his clean, pale skin. He looked wounded, where before he looked rough. It wasn't exactly an improvement.

Suzaku rapped on the door. "You almost done in there?"

"Almost," Lelouch called back. He didn't want to go out there like this, looking almost waifish with the stark red lines and violet bruises marking his cheeks. At least when he returned to the Black Knights as Zero he'd have his mask. Here, he was exposed to Suzaku, open and vulnerable. But it wasn't as if cover-up was an option. Or was it…

Nope. Suzaku didn't have any make-up. Lelouch sighed; Suzaku had self-admittedly crossdressed in the army before. It had been worth a shot.

Before Suzaku could knock again, Lelouch took a deep breath and stepped out. Suzaku had changed, and looked a lot less intimidating in civilian clothes. Which was good, because Lelouch felt a lot less intimidating with Suzaku's marks all over his face.

Suzaku winced, but didn't comment. Lelouch was grateful for that.

"You're heading back to that woman?" Suzaku asked instead. Lelouch nodded and Suzaku sighed. "I don't get it. She ruined your life, you know. You could have been perfectly happy, hidden away at Ashford Academy with Milly and Shirley and everyone."

"But then I couldn't have saved you, and Jeremiah would have executed you as Clovis's killer."

"Clovis wouldn't be dead."

"Another problem," Lelouch pointed out, half-heartedly, the diary Schneizel had given him burning a hole in his pocket. "Suzaku, C.C. gave me a tool and a contract, that's all. I know you think _geass_ is evil, and I can see why you would, but it isn't. No more than a gun or a Knightmare or political power is evil. It's just a tool. I chose what to do with it." He sighed. "I ruined my own life, not C.C."

Suzaku shook his head. "She pulled my most traumatic memories and made me watch them. She put Nunnally in danger. She has her own agenda, and she's using you to achieve it. She's a heartless, evil, shrew; the worst kind of man-using woman."

"She's a child," Lelouch said softly. It felt somewhat like abusing C.C.'s trust to tell Suzaku about this, about C.C.'s weakness, but Lelouch was sick of keeping things from Suzaku. They were partners now, and Lelouch wanted Suzaku to understand that the present C.C. wasn't the woman he hated, even if it was too complicated to explain that she never had been such a woman. "Her memories are all gone, she lost them just before we returned from China."

"Oh." Suzaku said. Lelouch waited, but nothing more came. Suzaku didn't _look_ like he was convinced, but at least he wasn't arguing any more.

"She needs me right now," Lelouch said. "I'm… responsible for her."

Suzaku just sighed and nodded. "Fine, fine. I won't push you over her anymore. I don't like it, but I can live with it. But I stand by what I said; if Nunnally finds out you're here, she's going to have a lot of uncomfortable questions."

"I'm leaving C.C. here, but I'm not planning on staying more than the night," Lelouch admitted. C.C. might need him, but she didn't need him hovering over her. If he told her to wait here until he came back, he was sure she would do just that. "There are still things _Zero_ needs to do."

"Right. Then go ahead." Suzaku cocked his head towards the door, and Lelouch realized that this could possibly be the end of their fight. And they were both still… friends? Friendly.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you," Suzaku said as Lelouch took his first step towards that door.

Lelouch tensed and stopped in his tracks. "Don't be stupid. I haven't forgiven myself."

"Well… good."

Lelouch couldn't help it. His hand was on the handle, and he was just about to walk out when the words somehow came out of his mouth without him even intending on saying them.

"Have _you_ forgiven yourself?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku hadn't answered by the time Lelouch closed the door between them.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku slept uneasily, his mind awash with thoughts of Lelouch and C.C. and Euphy and promises and lies and collateral damage. He was used to the weight of war, but the pending peace was just as heavy and tense as any battle had ever been

Still, the sound of his door opening didn't startle him as much as set every single nerve in his body into fight(-or-flight, but really only fight) mode.

His _geass_ didn't activate, however, so at least the potential threat wasn't deadly, at least.

He cracked open an eye and wasn't sure to be relieved or exasperated at seeing Kanon standing in the open doorway, a tablet in his hands and a smile on his face.

"Rise and shine, Seven. It's a new day. Prince Schneizel and I will be in negotiations for the rest of the day, so I thought I'd drop by to congratulate you. I didn't think you'd have it in you, but however you got Zero to betray his own people… well done."

"Betray?" Suzaku asked, his voice blearier than he really felt.

"Leading the UFN members to a negotiating table with Prince Schneizel?" Kanon scoffed. "He might as well have disbanded it himself."

That was what this looked like, Suzaku realized. As long as no one knew about Lelouch's _geass_ on Schneizel, it looked like he'd taken everything he'd worked for and gambled it on impossible odds, even taking himself out of a position of some control. How had he even talked Kaguya and the others into it?

And yet, in reality, with Schneizel negotiating for Britannia, Lelouch had ensured everything he'd ever wanted.

"In any case, Princess Nunnally is asking for you," Kanon said.

Suzaku looked at the clock, surprised at how late it was, at how unrested he felt. "Please let her know I'm on my way."

The palace was in something of an uproar, preparing for the negotiations. Suzaku expected Nunnally to have a part in that, but was pleasantly surprised.

"Schneizel said that he'd deal with Area 11 for me," Nunnally told Suzaku. "He told me that I'd done so much already, and that the well-being of the Japanese was of paramount importance." She beamed up at Suzaku. "He said 'Japanese'!"

"…huh."

"I trust him," Nunnally said, in the same tone of voice she'd used when she'd told Suzaku she believed in Euphy. "So I'm leaving the negotiations to him. Instead, I'm supposed to report to Dr. Carter."

Suzaku startled at that. "Are you sick?"

Nunnally shrugged. "He's a psychologist. I'm supposed to talk to him. Schneizel set it up, he said it was his job to take care of me now, not use me anymore."

Only because Lelouch had _made_ that his job. And Suzaku couldn't deny that setting up Nunnally with a councillor was a much better idea than giving her the reins of a resentful and broken country; the country where she'd lost her brother, where her beloved sister had been killed.

"Well… what am I supposed to do, then?" Suzaku asked, half-teasing.

Nunnally laughed. "Walk with me to my session, and then take the rest of the morning off, Suzaku. You could use a break."

That may have been true, but with C.C. in the palace and Lelouch wandering around until he decided to take his leave, Suzaku didn't think it likely he'd get anything like a break any time soon.

He dropped Nunnally off and made his way to where Lelouch and C.C. were staying, detouring to the mess to pick up a decent breakfast for himself and some fruit and granola for Lelouch.

"Hey, Suzaku!" Gino waved from where he was sitting with Anya. "Did'ya hear about Luciano?"

"I saw Kallen take him out," Suzaku said, keeping his expression neutral. "He was violating the cease-fire."

"So was she. Technically," Gino pointed out, as if it was an academic discussion and not about losing an elite member of an exclusive group. It showed how missed Luciano wouldn't be. "Still, everything'll come out in the wash, I suppose."

Suzaku inclined his head in a semblance of agreement before turning to take his leave.

One thing was odd, though. She wasn't the most talkative of people, but Anya almost always greeted Suzaku somehow. Weird that she'd just sat there while Gino and Suzaku spoke, keeping her face averted.

Maybe Luciano's death had affected her?

Nah.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After a superficial wash and reluctantly pulling on yesterday's clothes, Lelouch considered his options. The negotiations had already started and C.C. was still learning her way around the room. She didn't seem too overwhelmed, and nodded her acceptance when Lelouch told her he'd be leaving her alone here for the time being. She didn't look happy about it, but with her memories gone she rarely looked anything but scared. After that, there wasn't much else for Lelouch to do, and there didn't seem to be any reason for him to stay. He still had loose ends to tie up with the Black Knights.

"Hey." Lelouch jumped a little as Suzaku opened the door, precariously balancing a tray filled with steaming foods. "I brought breakfast."

He'd come back. Lelouch's heart flipped a little at that. Or maybe he was just hungry. The aroma of bacon and eggs and toast permeated the room; hungry it was.

Suzaku set up the tray by the bed, the only place for more than two people to sit together, and nodded politely at C.C. "Go ahead."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, but kept his comments to himself. If Suzaku was willing to put aside his aversion and at least play nice with C.C., Lelouch wasn't going to stop him. C.C. looked over at Lelouch nervously, then approached the tray, taking a tentative bite of toast and looking up at Suzaku to see his reaction.

Suzaku just sat on the bed and turned on the television. "They're broadcasting reports and speculation about the negotiations on practically every channel. Some people are wondering where the Emperor is, but most people have full faith in Schneizel."

Lelouch's nose wrinkled as pulled up a chair and opened a pre-mixed bowl of yoghurt-covered granola and fruit. He was wondering where the Emperor was as well. C.C. remained standing, nibbling on her toast.

They watched in silence as 'experts' predicted Schneizel wrangling a peace treaty without losing any Britannian land. Lelouch snorted.

"Japan is guaranteed to be liberated as soon as negotiations end. Kaguya and I drew out administrative diagrams and plans for Britannian emigration or assimilation into a Japanese-ruled land. He's also probably going to give up Area 18, despite the oil reserves, because it's been a headache to keep – the Black Knights aren't the only terrorists Britannia has had to deal with."

Suzaku hummed. "And what is Britannia getting in return?"

"Peace. The promise of the UFN not to force Britannia's hand in any Area whose population hasn't demonstrated a significant desire to break away from Britannia. The potential for _willing_ additions to Britannia, the same way countries agreed to join the UFN. Everyone loves the idea of freedom, Suzaku, even if it's the freedom to walk into the lion's den." Lelouch smiled at him. "You're less likely to be ruled by a group of tyrants than by a single one."

Suzaku grunted and shrugged, as if such political manoeuvring was beyond him. Lelouch didn't buy it; Suzaku had been raised, as Lelouch had, to power. Even if he hadn't been formally trained past the age of ten, there were things one picked up just by being near a seat of power that made understanding it easier. The nuances, yes, Suzaku might perhaps miss. But not the bigger picture.

And the fact that he wasn't complaining meant that he must agree on some level. He was certainly quick enough to protest when he didn't.

They were too comfortable to change the channel when the news ended and segued into sports. Instead, Lelouch just tuned out and made sure C.C. ate something with protein.

_"And now it's time for Jane with the weather. Jane?"_

_"Thanks, Phil. As the political climate's cooling off, the actual climate is revving up. Seismic activity has been detected in England, South Africa, the Middle East, Siberia, East Asia, Antactica, and off the coast of Florida and Maine. That means the possibility of tsunami for the coasts, wind and rain inland, and property damage at the epicentres. Keep an ear out for local warnings and watches, everyone!"_

Lelouch's attention snapped back to the television. "Ragnarok!"

"Gesundheit," Suzaku muttered through a full mouth.

Lelouch resisted the urge to hit Suzaku – such urges never ended well. "This is the first step. Those places are all… they're all like Kamine island and that place in China the _Geass_ Order worked out of. They're part of a system designed to…"

To what? Lelouch frowned. He remembered something about a thought elevator, a system that interfered with thoughts, sharing them without permission, linking minds together. But he couldn't remember the reason behind it, why it had all made sense while in the World of C.

He shot a look over at C.C., who was playing with her bacon. Even with her memories lost, surely something this huge, this significant would have affected her on an instinctive level. Unless she'd been so damaged that this meant as little to her as it did to Suzaku. Normally, she'd be the one Lelouch turned to for answers, however incomplete and useless her answers usually were. Now, with her in this condition and clearly not even tuned into the _geass_/_code_ universe thing anymore, Lelouch had no idea how to clarify the strong sensation he had and the fragments of memories that tied them together.

There was only one thing he was sure of.

"My father's finally playing his hand. And I'm going to stop him."

"No," Suzaku said firmly, standing up. Lelouch braced himself for a battle; there was no way he could fight past Suzaku, and with Schneizel occupied, he couldn't just have Suzaku ordered out of the way or jailed…

Suzaku held out his hand.

"_We're_ going to stop him."


	5. The World of C

Yay. Treason.

Some time between getting the Lancelot set up to transport two people while Lelouch arranged with Kallen for a delay in Zero's return, Suzaku realized exactly what he'd agreed to. At first, he shrugged it off, certain that he was doing the right thing, but then doubts started to creep in and, as he followed Lelouch down the hall, towards the room they'd left C.C. in that morning, Suzaku couldn't help but wonder what the hell was wrong with him?

Yes, he'd _technically_ committed treason before, but always impulsively, never with this cold, premeditated determination. On one hand, Suzaku knew full well that the Emperor would never just stop conquering countries, or give up the countries he'd already conquered. Also, he was a horrible father, even without the abuse and neglect that Lelouch and Nunnally had suffered. Also, he wasn't that great a guy overall, what with abdicating most of his responsibilities to his second son.

But on the other hand, he was Suzaku's Emperor, and Suzaku had sworn a plethora of oaths to him, oaths that were supposed to supersede any others Suzaku had sworn. And the only reason Suzaku was considering treason was because Lelouch thought it was a good idea.

And Lelouch's idea of what a 'good idea' was, as his history had demonstrated, was sketchy at best.

But Suzaku couldn't lose this. Lelouch fighting for freedom and justice, in reality and not just in name, doing what he could to minimize death and loss rather than cause it. Suzaku had managed to talk Lelouch out of a full-scale invasion of Area 11. It felt like the least he could do was give in on this one little thing in return, even if this one little thing was outright treason.

One thing was for sure; he couldn't let Lelouch go alone. Suzaku had killed his own father with his own hand. There was no way he was letting Lelouch go through that, no matter how angry or hurt he might be.

"C.C.?" Lelouch barged into the room first, with Suzaku trailing behind. "C.C., it's me. Come out. C.C.?"

The room was empty. Suzaku was certain of it. A trained assassin might have been able to hide from his senses, but a frightened memoryless girl? "Lelouch, she's not here."

"Of course she is," Lelouch snapped. "I told Schneizel to keep her here. C.C.!"

Suzaku checked the lock on the door while Lelouch turned the room inside out and upside down. The access codes for today were Suzaku's, Kanon's, and… Anya's?

"Why would Anya need to come in here?" As a Knight of the Round, she had access to every room not specifically locked against her, but just because she could come into C.C.'s room didn't mean there was any good reason for her to do so. Suzaku picked up the room's phone and dialed a number from memory. "Where is the Knight of Six?"

"The Mordred's just been cleared for take-off, sir."

"Thanks." Suzaku hung up the phone. This made no sense…

"She's not here," Lelouch said, befuddled and starting to panic. Suzaku remembered what happened when Lelouch panicked, and he'd rather not have another SAZ disaster on his hands.

"I think Anya took her," Suzaku said, the words sounding like nonsense as he said them.

"Anya? Alstreim?" Lelouch's panic stopped, replaced by utter bemusement. "Why?"

Suzaku shrugged. "Emperor's orders, I guess? She was acting a little odd at breakfast."

"This isn't good," Lelouch said. "If whatever the Emperor's trying to do requires C.C.'s help…"

From what Lelouch had said, C.C. wouldn't be any help with anything other than mundane chores. Still, if all she had to be was present, like as a sacrifice…

Suzaku was surprised at how little he cared, even after what Lelouch had told him, about C.C.'s possible execution. But even so, he'd promised to stop the Emperor's plans with Lelouch, and he meant to keep that promise.

"What do we do?"

Lelouch looked torn, then he shook his head. "Schneizel's enough of a guarantee here, for the peace talks, and anything Zero has to do can wait. Is the Lancelot set up?" Suzaku nodded. "Good. Then get it ready to launch and give me a few minutes to make some calls."

"Are you sure you don't want your own Knightmare?"

Lelouch nodded, more serious now. "I don't want to take the Shinkiro and the Druid system anywhere near the Ragnarok points. The Lancelot should be far safer."

It was heartening to hear Lelouch taking his own safety into consideration. "Alright. It should be ready to leave in about fifteen. What are you planning on doing until then?"

Lelouch shrugged. "I've already traded up one sibling for another. Might as well let Cornelia free, and send some of the more trigger-happy Black Knights out on an errand."

"Errand?" Suzaku asked, tentatively.

"If he can't be stopped, at least the Emperor can be delayed."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku wasn't happy with Lelouch sending the Black Knights to a) break the treaty, and b) their likely deaths. The Knight of One had disappeared after Suzaku had enforced the cease-fire, and Lelouch was pretty sure where he'd gone. Unless he was a total idiot, Suzaku must have known as well. And going up against the Knight of One meant death.

Lelouch didn't care. Japan, the Black Knights, Britannia's fall, even C.C.; all had been stepping stones on the path towards revenge on the Emperor for Marianne and Nunnally. Breaking the cease-fire would make Zero an oath-breaker, all of his vaunted rhetoric and nobility wasted, but Lelouch was more than willing to let Zero go. He, too, had been nothing more than a tool in Lelouch's search for revenge.

And, of course, the kinder world Nunnally craved. Schneizel could give that to her now, in Lelouch's place.

"I'm going to do this, Suzaku, with or without your agreement. I've sworn no conflicting oaths to you."

"You're treating your soldiers like canon fodder!"

"I'm treating them like soldiers. The Emperor chose Kamine for a reason, rather than Florida or one of the more secure locations. It puts him in my reach." Lelouch's fists clenched. "I hesitated before, when Schneizel put his king in checkmate. I'm not letting that opportunity slip through my fingers again."

Suzaku set his jaw. "It could be a trap."

"They need C.C. That's why they came here," Lelouch insisted. "I'm just taking what small advantage I can from that."

Suzaku's mouth opened and closed, as he ran out of arguments. "Please. Don't."

Lelouch felt something inside him ache. Had Suzaku always been like this, before Lelouch had made him hard? So soft, so unwilling to see others hurt.

But he had fought for Britannia, cutting down thousands of soldiers, and likely just as many unfortunate civilians. The Suzaku from a year, two years ago might have had the moral ground from which to criticize Lelouch. The Suzaku standing in front of him didn't.

"Ready the Lancelot, Suzaku. And don't ask any more questions you don't want to hear the answers to."

Time was a major factor, and Suzaku knew that. Still, he hesitated before turning away with a concerned expression, looking like he worried more _for_ Lelouch than about him.

Lelouch couldn't waste another moment thinking about that, though. He activated the secure comm he'd brought in. "Rolo?"

"Nii-san!" Rolo sounded overjoyed that Lelouch hadn't forgotten about him. "Do you need me?"

"I do, for a very specific mission. The Emperor has C.C. and is planning something at Kamine island. I'm sending you and Jeremiah to delay him."

"Just delay?"

"The Knight of One is there, and I don't want to risk my… precious baby brother. Just delay them, however you can." With Rolo's unique skill set, even if it didn't work on the Emperor himself, that shouldn't be a problem.

"Understood!"

Lelouch relayed the same message to Jeremiah, with less backtalk, and thought about who else he could send. The timing was perfectly awful; Schneizel was tied up in negotiations and Lelouch couldn't use his influence to wrangle up some Britannian soldiers. He could always use his _geass_ on the pilots stationed around the palace, but that was sure to make Suzaku furious. Although technically Lelouch hadn't promised not to…

No. Rolo and Jeremiah were his. The Britannian army wasn't. The least Lelouch could do was honour those distinctions for Suzaku's sake.

Which made things more difficult, but not impossible. Besides, Lelouch could order the entire world to follow him; his father would still hold the ultimate weapon as long as he lived. And, since taking V.V.'s _code_, Charles was immortal. To take him off the board…

It had to be done. Somehow, Lelouch had to find a way to kill an immortal, a man who had moved past even _geass_ and attained something close to godhood. C.C. had hoped that one day Lelouch would have released her from the eternal bondage of her _code_, she'd said so herself before losing her memory and self. That must mean that Lelouch, with his _geass_ had that power.

And now he must turn it on his own father. The orchestrator of every loss Lelouch had ever suffered.

Lelouch reached for the emergency backpack he'd prepared for something like this.

So be it.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"_The Emperor's flagship is under attack by the Black Knights!"_

Suzaku winced at the radio as he piloted the Lancelot towards Kamine. Lelouch's plans were coming into effect.

_"The Knight of One is engaging, but the flagship's engines have taken a hit. Their arrival will be delayed by eleven minutes."_

"Good," Lelouch said. "That won't be enough time for us to get there before they land, but there's no landing area large enough to accommodate anything smaller than a Knightmare within half a kilometre of the shrine. We'll be able to land closer, get into position."

"For what, an ambush?"

Lelouch just shook his head and turned on his secure comm. "Rolo, Jeremiah. You're done here. Retreat before you're shot down."

"Yes nii-san!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Lelouch turned the comm off and resumed looking pensively out the front windshield.

"Are you going to tell me the plan?" Suzaku asked, impatient with all this mystery.

"You're not going to like it," Lelouch said.

Suzaku bit back a rather inappropriate chuckle. "When have I ever?"

Lelouch shot him a wry grin, one that looked more sick than amused, before sobering up. "I don't have one."

"Lelouch…"

Lelouch shook his head at Suzaku's protest. "No, really. I planned to use my _geass_ on Schneizel from the moment you told me you wanted peace. I knew I could never allow _Pax Britannica_ to rule again, as it would under Schneizel. If I couldn't get you to protect Nunnally, I had Rolo ready to kidnap her. If you'd betrayed me and led me to a trap, I had… contingency plans. If we'd gone to war I had even more plans; _geass_ on numerous Britannian soldiers that would activate, hidden marine vessels… I even wired up the trains with geffion disturbers, enough to take out all the _sakuradite_-powered equipment in Tokyo. But this… I don't have a plan, Suzaku. I don't even know what to expect."

"Then why are we going in?"

"Because we have to," Lelouch said firmly. "Because we're the only ones who know that my father is planning something far more dangerous and destructive than visiting one of his Areas during an active battle."

Suzaku frowned. "_I_ don't know anything like that. I'm just taking your word for it."

"And why is that?" Lelouch asked, looking at Suzaku out of the corner of his eye. "Was one heartfelt conversation all it took, Suzaku?" Suzaku bristled at the implication, but Lelouch continued. "Or did you know I was telling the truth because you felt it too?"

"Felt what?"

Lelouch shrugged. "I don't know. But I know that the last time we were on this island, you were more sensitive to the power that came from the… shrine than any of us, including C.C."

"That doesn't mean anything," Suzaku protested, but he knew he was lying the moment the words were out of his mouth. Part of his unease had been from the feeling of just _wrongness_ that had started when the earth started shaking. It was as if the planet was sick and Suzaku could smell it, only it wasn't a smell. He'd been overwhelmed by the power at Kamine, and it had been dormant then. He'd been further away this time, which had helped, but the power wasn't sleeping anymore.

It was waking up. And it was restless.

"Let's say you're right," Suzaku said because, after all, Lelouch was. "Let's say something horrible is happening down there. What are we going to do, against the Emperor and however many guards and soldiers and Knights of the Round he's managed to assemble with just you and your _geass_ and me with my gun?"

Lelouch shrugged again, and his shoulders looked like they settled lower once he was done, like they were weighted down. "I don't know, Suzaku. All I can do is hope that a solution presents itself and that we're quick enough to take advantage of it. And… as corny as it sounds, I just keep repeating to myself…" he trailed off.

Suzaku wasn't sure, but he could hope. "Together, we can do anything."

Lelouch looked at him, wide-eyed and surprised, as if asking how Suzaku had read his mind. Suzaku laughed, at least half in relief that he'd been right. "That _is_ corny."

"Shut up, idiot," Lelouch muttered, his cheeks turning pink.

Suzaku grinned all the way down as he guided the Lancelot towards the shrine on Kamine island.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

They'd forgotten one little thing in the planning.

Anya. And C.C.

The Emperor was still minutes recovering away, due to Rolo and Jeremiah's harassment. But the Mordred was already parked neatly beside the entrance to the cave that had once held the Gawain, before Lelouch had stolen it and had it turned into the Shinkiro.

Fond memories.

"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked uncertainly. "Are we walking into a trap?"

"Maybe," Lelouch admitted. But there was no chance he was going to back out now. "Let's find out."

Suzaku shot him a worried look, but manoeuvred the Lancelot down to alight next to the Mordred. "What now?"

Lelouch slipped the backpack over his shoulder and set his jaw. "If there's a trap, we might as well spring it sooner rather than later."

Suzaku eyed him uncertainly. "Right. Well, then. Let's go."

The Mordred was deserted, with no sign of its pilot or passenger. Suzaku circled the Knightmare twice to make sure before checking back in with Lelouch. "I guess that just leaves the cave."

Lelouch nodded, but didn't move. He didn't want to go in there. It wasn't the power radiating nearly palpably from the cave's inner sanctum, or the fact that they'd be cornered once the Emperor landed. It was the fact that Lelouch was going in blind, with only the vaguest idea of what awaited him, and no idea how to stop it.

"Lelouch," Suzaku said, pulling Lelouch out of his stupor. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Great. Even Suzaku could tell that he was hesitating. Lelouch squirmed a little, trying to hide his discomfort by switching his bad from one shoulder to the other. "Of course I'm sure." He took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Despite the stated mission of looking for Anya and C.C. in the cavern, the weirdness at the back of the cave to distract Lelouch. Between the eerie glow from the lined markings on the walls, and the strange modern electronic interface that seemed to be attached to it, Lelouch wasn't sure if he felt like he was in the presence of advanced science, or archaic magic.

Both, apparently.

"Anya!" Suzaku rushed over towards the Knight of Six. She was slumped over, in what looked like a very uncomfortable position, apparently unconscious or dead. Lelouch stayed back, though, in case she was faking it.

Suzaku breathed out a sigh of relief. "She's alive. But there's no sign of C.C."

"Not anymore…" Lelouch carefully looked over the interface, frowning as he realized what its function was. "It's a door."

"What?"

Lelouch gestured at the rune-covered wall. "It's a door." He pressed a few select buttons on the interface, and the glowing intensified. "And this is how the door is opened."

Suzaku looked down at Anya, then up at the door, then over at Lelouch. "I don't like the look of this."

"You don't have to follow me," Lelouch said.

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "Of course I do." He looked up at the glowing lines. "…how?"

Lelouch set the controls and moved towards the wall, motioning for Suzaku to follow him. They stood side-by-side as the glow intensified further, the increase in energy becoming audible as a low pitched whine that quickly grew higher and louder.

Suzaku shifted from foot to foot, his right hand hovering over his gun, his left hand grasping his sword's scabbard. Lelouch shrugged off his backpack and tossed it to the side, so that it was leaning on the wall beside the glowing pink lines, just outside the area of the 'doorway'. Suzaku tensed at that even further, and Lelouch grabbed his left hand, wrenching it away from his sword, but leaving Suzaku's right hand free just in case.

"Right." Lelouch took a deep breath. "Let's go."

The glow became blinding, the whine became deafening, and Lelouch's _geass_ flared almost painfully as Suzaku's grip on his hand tightened, a reassuring pressure that kept Lelouch grounded even as the cave disappeared around them.

When their eyesight returned to normal, the silence ringing almost louder than the whining had been, they were in the World of C.

Lelouch let go of Suzaku's hand, immediately looking around for any sign of C.C. Suzaku, for once less quick to recover than Lelouch, just stared around, taking in the floating temple perpetually bathed in dusky light.

"This is that weapon the Emperor told me about. The Sword of Akasha. A weapon to destroy god."

Lelouch was surprised that Suzaku knew about it, but he just nodded.

"Exactly. Ragnarok."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku didn't like this place. He'd thought it a shrine in Pendragon when the Emperor had first taken him to it, before sending Suzaku off to see if the new Zero was Lelouch. At the time, the Emperor had framed it as a sign of favour, a secret shared only by the few who'd known about _geass_. Apparently, this went beyond what Suzaku had even imagined.

He'd expected metaphor. He'd expected allegory. He hadn't expected the actual end of the world, the Emperor truly planning on destroying some version of god.

But Lelouch was taking this seriously. And Suzaku might have had issues with Lelouch's motives and means, but his conclusions were usually sound. Before he'd learned about _geass_, Suzaku would have considered it impossible. Now, Suzaku had to admit that there were perhaps more things on heaven and earth than dreamed about by his philosophy.

As they climbed the stairs towards the temple, Suzaku kept his hands open and ready to grab a weapon. Lelouch, at his side, had one hand in his pocket, which made Suzaku nervous. Zero had often concealed surprises like that, and Lelouch had often carried chess pieces like good-luck tokens in the same way. Sometimes Suzaku couldn't believe he'd never figured out they were the same person. And sometimes Suzaku wasn't entirely sure they _were_ the same person.

But, then again, sometimes Suzaku couldn't believe that the Lelouch he knew now was the same person he'd met at his father's shrine, or even in the subways of Shinkiro.

There was only one thing Suzaku was certain of; this Lelouch was the only one Suzaku would trust at his side, helping to fight against the end of the world itself.

"How do we stop it?"

They were one step away from the top of the staircase. Lelouch gave a half shrug and looked like he was about to answer when another voice beat him to it.

"Lelouch! My, how you've grown."

Suzaku watched as the colour drained from Lelouch's face as his eyes focused over Suzaku's shoulder. "It… it can't be…" Suzaku turned, feeling like a victim in a horror movie, only to face a tall woman with dark wavy hair, smiling down at Lelouch beatifically. Lelouch leaned forward, his shoulder pressing warm against Suzaku's back. "Mother?"

As soon as the word passed Lelouch's lips, Suzaku saw it. Lelouch was her spitting image, only with his father's eyes and hard mouth. Marianne vi Britannia looked much softer than either her son or husband, and in that Suzaku could see Nunnally. Even if Suzaku had never seen a picture of the former Empress, he would have seen his friends in her in an instant. She was the very picture of motherhood, exuding radiant serenity, while C.C. stood at her side, silent and somehow distant.

"Is this one of your illusions C.C.?" Lelouch demanded. "Or a memory you're forcing me to relive?"

C.C. shook her head, and Marianne laughed. "Don't be silly, Lelouch!" Even Marianne's voice sounded motherly. "Of course it's me! Unfortunately, I can only take on my original appearance within the World of C."

"It really is you…" Lelouch muttered. He sounded more stunned than angry. Clearly this wasn't something he'd prepared for.

Suzaku wasn't about to let him falter. He stepped forward, one foot on Lelouch's stair, one just above it, blocking Lelouch's direct line of sight to his mother. "This isn't what we came for."

"You're right," Lelouch shook himself and recovered, much quicker than Suzaku had expected. He turned towards C.C. "I assume you've regained your memories?"

"Marianne helped me," C.C. said blandly. "I suppose I should thank you for your care."

Marianne scoffed. "I'm sure there's no need. Lelouch has always been such a responsible boy. Speaking of, how is dear Nunnally?"

Lelouch looked helplessly towards Suzaku and Suzaku, for once, could practically read his mind in his desperate expression. Lelouch hadn't seen or spoken to Nunnally in months. He knew only her public persona. He had _no idea_ how she was doing.

Suzaku had to step in. "She… um… Schneizel's arranged for her to see a therapist," Suzaku said awkwardly. Lelouch's jaw actually dropped, and he looked shocked and furious at the exact same time. Perhaps Suzaku had been oversharing. "So that'll be…" Time to change the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"Delivering C.C. to Charles, of course." Marianne's smile beamed bright, all of its power directed at Lelouch. "You two are just _delightful_ bonuses. I'm sure he'll be as happy to see you as we are."

Lelouch startled, as if snapped back into the moment and his plotting at that. "That's right. He's coming here to… do something. Something terrible."

"Ragnarok," Marianne said, and even her gentle tone couldn't make the word any less foreboding. "I don't think you understand what it truly means, Lelouch."

"And I'd be more than happy to explain," Charles's voice rang out from below them. Suzaku whirled around, his sword half-drawn as he tried to get between Lelouch and the three potential threats that surrounded him.

Lelouch, stubborn as always, refused to let him, turning to loom over his father. "You finally came." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and Suzaku felt somewhat proud that he'd been right to worry.

In Lelouch's left hand was the detonator for a bomb.

"Now…" Lelouch grinned, and it looked manic and cold at the same time. "We have two options – you can stop this madness, or I can trap us all here, in the World of C, with the push of this button."

Charles looked up at Lelouch, clearly unimpressed, before turning towards Marianne.

"Your son is threatening me out of ignorance."

"Why is it that every time he threatens you out of ignorance he's _my_ son?" Marianne retorted.

C.C. sighed. "Reunions. Always so awkward."


	6. The Sword of Akasha

Lelouch had had enough. He'd had rebels, soldiers, nobles, even Empresses follow his lead. He'd remade a third of the world in his own image, and even now was changing the Britannian Empire itself through his puppets. He was a force to be reckoned with, on the battlefield as well as at the negotiating table.

His parents _had_ to take him seriously now!

"I've set explosives against the doorway to this realm. Whatever physical means you used to create this world will be destroyed if I press this button."

"You'd trap yourself as well," Marianne pointed out, sounding blithely unconcerned.

Lelouch just nodded, his eyes never leaving his father's. "So be it."

Charles just shrugged and started up the stairs. "It changes nothing. Our goals can be achieved from here, and once they are… well, then it will hardly matter."

"Because you'll have destroyed the world we know?" Suzaku asked, backing up into Lelouch and forcing Lelouch to climb up the stairs, away from C.C. and Marianne, making him more defendable. Suzaku probably thought he was being subtle. He wasn't. "We're not letting you."

"So your treason is complete, Kururugi," Charles said, looking at Suzaku with the disappointment he'd never even bothered to show Lelouch. "First against your own people, and then against those who took you in."

"I was always loyal to the Japanese people," Suzaku spat, and Lelouch felt that it was nice hearing him defend himself for once instead of just accepting the accusations against him. "That's _why_ I turned against my father in the first place, and it's why I've allied with Lelouch against you."

"But you don't understand what you're fighting against," Marianne said. "Or what we're fighting for. We're trying to _save_ the world, Suzaku. I can understand Lelouch's anger; he never liked secrets being kept from him–"

"Ironic, that," Charles muttered, and Lelouch's attention snapped back to him with a glare.

Marianne sighed. "Stop it, you two." She turned back to Suzaku. "But you've always been so much more practical. Anya and I were impressed that, even when the practicalities of the situation hurt you, you still managed to do what needed to be done. You were even willing to execute Toudou for your ultimate goal. We admired that."

"We?" Lelouch asked, as Suzaku fell right back into the remembered shame of that moment. Lelouch had never remembered his mother as manipulative, but it didn't particularly surprise him, although he did resent that he was forced to go onto the offensive alone now that Suzaku was out of commission. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"_Geass_," C.C answered. "Marianne's _geass_ allowed her to pass into Anya's body at the moment of her death. She's been there for the past eight years, waiting for this day."

Of course. _Geass_ manifested itself as whatever its user needed most – to compel obedience, to stop time, to erase the past…

To escape a dying body.

"It could have been worse," Marianne said. "A nobleman's daughter, with position and influence, and young enough to be thought flighty rather than dangerous when her memories went missing. And I got to pilot a Knightmare again!" She beamed up at Charles. "Thank you for that."

"Anything you wished," Charles said, smiling up at her and warming up for the first time.

Marianne turned to Suzaku, and shook her finger chidingly at him. "You mustn't blame Charles for what happened. If anything, we trusted too much; that Lelouch wouldn't harm his adorable little sister." That shot landed as hard as the one she'd directed to Suzaku about Toudou, making Lelouch wilt more than a little. "That V.V. wouldn't betray us out of jealousy…"

"V.V.?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, the one who told you about _geass_," Charles said. "You should have known better than to trust him completely. My brother had grown bitter and impatient, willing to use you to remove all obstacles in his way."

Suzaku turned to Lelouch, looking guilty once again. Lelouch, still writhing in his memory of what he'd done to Euphy, couldn't stand it. "What? Nothing he told you was a lie. I _was_ using _geass_, I _did_ kill Euphy, and I _was_ your enemy."

The guilt in Suzaku's eyes turned into something harder. "Yes. You _were_." Suzaku turned back to the Emperor. "You're still guilty of abandoning your children, and of using your _geass_ and your power to hurt others. And now you claim you want to save the world?"

"We do," Charles said. "We wish nothing less than a world without masks. A world where everyone understands each other, making conflicts disappear."

That explained… precisely nothing. "_How_?"

"People are divided by lies and deceit. Ragnarok tears down the walls that separate us from one another, the worlds of the living and of the dead." Charles seemed determined to continue speaking in metaphors. "The World of C holds the collective unconsciousness of the human race."

"What you might call 'god'," Marianne added. "A barrier between each human being, keeping them separate from each other."

Charles nodded. "It needs to be destroyed. Once it's gone, peace and prosperity will reign, in a world based on truth and honesty."

"You're going to kill… god…" Lelouch said, as pieces fell into place. They weren't speaking euphemistically at all… "You're using _geass_ to destroy its own creator."

"Creation requires destruction," C.C. said. "New beginnings require the old to end."

"That's why you're doing this," Lelouch breathed out, feeling actually betrayed by C.C. for the first time. "So that you can die."

Marianne tutted. "C.C. has waited long enough. It's only fair to let her rest. Once Charles takes her _code_, the old world will end and the new one will begin." She smiled, gently. "And all our sacrifices will be worth it. Nunnally will know the truth and understand. You can speak with Euphy again, and know each other's hearts. The world will be a kind, gentle place."

Lelouch could see it; a world of harmony because individual wants and ambitions would have no place. A timeless world, with no past or present, where individual will was sublimated beneath a collective spirit.

He looked at his father, a man driven to create and then abandon a world power to further this ambition. He looked at C.C., a woman who had seen far more than anyone should and wanted only peace. He looked at his mother, a woman who had left him with questions and returned with answers that only led to more questions.

And then he looked at Suzaku, still warped and wrapped up in guilt; a boy who had sacrificed everything time and time again in the name of peace, and a young man who was close to losing faith in such things as 'peace'.

Euphy. Nunnally. Shirley. Lelouch would have done anything to keep them safe and make them understand.

Kallen, Milly, Rivalz. Lelouch would do anything to protect them.

He bowed his head. "If that's true, then I'm willing to help."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked, turning just as Lelouch dropped the detonator down into the nothingness that surrounded the floating temple. "What are you doing?"

"Giving up," Lelouch said simply. "They're right, Suzaku. The world is a mess, and has been since long before we came along. The cycle of lies, of violence; people thriving and growing fat and complacent off the exploitation of others; misunderstandings and manipulation… It's never going to end on its own. It might get better, for a short time, if we can rally the world against a common enemy, but that will last years, decades at most. And then we'll be right back where we started, in a world run by selfish, power-hungry tyrants while those weaker and gentler suffer."

Suzaku stared at Lelouch, stunned at the sudden reversal. "How can you say that?" Lelouch didn't bend, he just didn't. He moved forward, even when he was wrong, building on his past evils as well as his past good, working towards his goals with unerring precision. The only thing Suzaku had ever been able to use to deflect Lelouch's ambition had been…

"Nunnally," Lelouch said, and that one word explained everything. "There is no way she can be protected in a world that values strength and power over goodness and honesty. I can guard her, Schneizel can guard her, but ultimately she will be hurt by the selfishness of the world, even if it's not directed at her. And there's no other way to stop that."

"Precisely," Charles said. "When we were younger, V.V. and I were part of a family that tore itself apart through infighting over the throne. Even our gentlest siblings and cousins were brought low by the fray. That was when we decided that the webs of lies and deceit that kept people apart needed to be torn asunder."

Marianne shrugged. "And then even V.V. found himself embroiled in those webs." She smiled at Lelouch and Suzaku knew there was no way Lelouch could fight against her. "I know you and your father have had your differences, but you've both been working your hardest at making the world a better place. You've both lied to each other, and there's enough mistrust to go around. Can you at least try to forgive one another?"

Lelouch looked down at the Emperor, and Suzaku held his breath. Since before he'd met Lelouch, Lelouch had hated his father, both for how easily he and Nunnally had been dismissed and for the overall 'survival of the fittest' philosophy that Britannia had been built around. Lelouch's hatred of Charles, of Britannia, was one of the true constants Suzaku had known about his friend.

If Lelouch lost that, was he even Lelouch?

"No," Lelouch said, firmly and decisively. "No, I can't forgive him. But if there's one thing I've learned from Suzaku, it's that you don't have to forgive someone to work with them."

Charles huffed. "It's nice to see you learning some nuance, boy. If you're that eager to participate, you can carry C.C.'s _code_."

Lelouch hesitated, then moved past Suzaku towards C.C. He looked defeated, like he'd lost something, rather than invigorated by finding out his mother was still alive. Suzaku tried to put himself in Lelouch's place (or somewhere similar), imagining how he'd feel if it turned out Euphy was still alive, and had been hiding it from him for years.

He'd feel betrayed, of course, and far less certain of his importance in her eyes. And maybe that was part of Lelouch's loss – he'd resigned himself to being unimportant to his father, but knowing that his mother had hidden this from him, at a time when her loss as such a source of pain… maybe it was more that Lelouch could take.

In a way, Marianne's return had taken away a lot of Lelouch's drive, his purpose. And that, if nothing else, made it clear just how destructive secrets and lies could be. No one else could have stopped Lelouch from opposing his father, Suzaku was certain. No one else had that kind of power, of influence, over Lelouch.

Suzaku reached out and grabbed Lelouch's arm before he could pass. "Lelouch, think for a second. Is this really okay? Can we really just let this happen?" He still wasn't sure what 'this' was – Ragnarok, killing god, breaking the webs of lies. It all sounded so fantastic, almost made-up. But he remembered that sensation of doom, the horror in Lelouch's face as he realized what his father had planned. The Lelouch who had ordered Suzaku into his Lancelot would never just submit like this.

But the Lelouch Suzaku had grabbed just stopped at looked at him, eyes dim and vague. "If you'd asked me even a week ago if I could ever let myself work with my father, I'd have laughed in your face. But if you'd asked me two weeks ago if I'd ever be working with you…" Lelouch shrugged. "I guess you've shown me it's okay to compromise, Suzaku. And I know this is scary; change always is. But it's also necessary. This is just the next step. Besides, if you're really honest with yourself, isn't this what you fought for, even against your own father? A world without wars, without unnecessary death. Imagine it – peace and understanding between every single person."

Suzaku could imagine it. A world where nothing was hidden, and problems could be solved honestly and directly. If that world had existed, then Suzaku could have talked openly to Lelouch/Zero after being rescued for the first time. No, there wouldn't have even been a need for Zero, and Suzaku wouldn't have had to join the Britannian army. In fact, Suzaku would never have had to kill his father, and Lelouch would never have been exiled to Japan in the first place.

It was hard to argue against that. Suzaku released Lelouch's arm and nodded, conceding the point. Lelouch smiled his thanks and moved past Suzaku towards C.C.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"This is what you planned for, isn't it?" Lelouch asked C.C. "From the very beginning, this was why you did everything."

C.C. just looked tired. "I'm not sure what you want me to say, Lelouch."

Lelouch wasn't either – did he want her to admit it, that she used him from the moment he met her, that their relationship was nothing more than that. Or did he want her to deny it, tell him that she helped him because he was Marianne's son, or because he had saved her. Both seemed far too simple to be the full truth.

Then again, if everything worked out as promised, Lelouch would know the truth soon enough.

Marianne rested one hand on C.C.'s shoulder and, with the other one, held out a dagger for Lelouch to take.

"It's sharp," Marianne said, as if that was some kind of comfort. "If you're quick and confident, it shouldn't hurt much at all."

Lelouch nodded and took the dagger. Because that was what it meant, to take the _code_ from someone. It meant ending their life, one way or another.

At least this way, if Lelouch was quick and confident, C.C. would leave this world on her own terms.

"How do you want to do this?" Lelouch asked.

C.C. shrugged. "I… however you're most comfortable."

Lelouch could tell that she was hiding something. Again. "C.C., how do you want to do this?"

C.C. looked up uncertainly at Marianne, who smiled back encouragingly and sat down on the temple floor with her legs crossed. "Come, then."

Like a child, C.C. curled up in Marianne's lap, resting her head against Marianne's shoulder, looking up at Lelouch. "Whenever you're ready."

Lelouch looked down at the picture they made – Marianne looking maternal and graceful as she held C.C. still for the blade; C.C. looking vulnerable and young, the centuries or even millennia of life washed away by the simple comfort of a genuine embrace. His hand trembled. He'd killed before, and in cold blood and at close range, but never so openly, with the eyes of his target unerringly meeting his own, the knowledge of what was about to happen heavy in the air between them.

"Are you sure?" Lelouch asked, his voice not quite even.

C.C. smiled, peaceful and simple. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Alright, then." Lelouch knelt down next to them, reaching out with his left hand to brush C.C.'s bangs out of her face. "Goodbye. And… thank you."

"No," C.C. said. "Thank _you_."

And Lelouch shoved the blade through her rib cage, over the scar on her side that matched the one on her forehead, and straight into her heart.

C.C.'s breath stopped still for a moment, as her body took stock of what had happened. Then she breathed out, in what sounded almost like a relieved sigh, and Lelouch felt her _code_ wash over him.

When he'd taken his _geass_ from her, less than two years and more than a lifetime ago, he'd seen glimpses of wars and cults and time and shadows. This time he lived it. Between C.C. breathing out and his own breath in, Lelouch lived hundreds of years, saw thousands of deaths of people he cared for and tens of thousands of deaths apart from those. He saw the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, groups that hated and feared him, groups that loved and revered him. He saw his mother and his father, young and clearly in love, and for the first time in centuries, he felt hope.

And then he saw himself, as a child, reaching for Suzaku's hand as they climbed a hill. He awoke from a forced sleep in a spherical cell and saw those same two pairs of eyes, looking out from older faces, staring at him in shock and muted horror. And he knew…

"_You were always the one_," C.C.'s voice assured him. "_I always had faith in you_."

There was no contract this time, no promises or offers. Instead, C.C. passed on her power to Lelouch as an equal, asking nothing in return.

It wasn't a gift, however. Lelouch didn't want it any more than C.C. had. The difference was that Lelouch was taking on this burden willingly, and C.C. was relinquishing it eagerly and gratefully. It was peaceful and easy, if somewhat horrifying, and when Lelouch finally opened his eyes, C.C. was laying motionless and serene in Marianne's arms.

She looked different. _Everything_ looked different, somehow. Both sharper and less distinct, the edges of everything that had come from the outside world blurring vaguely together, as if connected through some subtle bond. And yet Lelouch could see details that he'd missed before – Suzaku's hands, the thin line of Charles's lips, C.C.'s ear. Only Marianne and the world around them remained unchanged, as if the non-corporeal remained constant.

And Lelouch realized what that meant. "The World of C. The collective unconsciousness. A _true_ world, without the veil of lies." Even lies of perception.

"You finally understand," Marianne said gently, stroking C.C.'s hair. "This is what we want for everyone."

Lelouch nodded. Of course. It was so simple, so straightforward.

So beautiful.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch stood up and Suzaku felt his grip tighten on his sword.

Over the past year and a bit, Lelouch had made Suzaku feel a lot of things; comfortable, envious, useful, betrayed, enraged, ashamed. But, up until this moment, Suzaku had never felt afraid because of Lelouch.

He took a step forward. "Lelouch?"

"Suzaku, it's so…" Lelouch was staring at Suzaku's hands, as if seeing them for the first time, and Suzaku felt that wave of fear again, a rushing desire to run and hide. "_Clear_." Lelouch blinked and shook his head, managing to look Suzaku in the eyes. "So obvious. This is what humanity has been yearning for, since the beginning of time."

"Yeah, that's… that's great," Suzaku said nervously, climbing the last few steps and backing away from Lelouch. "I'm happy for you, really."

Lelouch made an impatient noise and Marianne laughed and reached out a hand to soothe him, the same hand that had been caressing C.C.'s hair. "He doesn't understand, Lelouch. I don't either. The clarity you've been given is unique to you. Even your father sees differently from you."

Charles made his way up the stairs as well, striding past Suzaku as if he wasn't even there. "C.C.'s apathy grew out of seeing too much and caring too widely. You'll adapt in time."

Lelouch nodded, his back straightening with pride even as he recoiled visibly back from his father. So, that resentment and hatred was still there, only Lelouch was willing to work with his father despite that. At another time, in another place, Suzaku might have appreciated that.

Here, however, it just made everything more unnerving. They'd come here to stop the Emperor, not join him.

As if reading his mind, Lelouch turned to him. "Come, Suzaku. You were the one who taught me about compromise, about middle ground. If our goal is the same, the means don't have to matter that much. We all want the same thing, and this is just temporary. Once it's done, we can part ways." He looked at his father out of the corner of his eye. "_All_ of us."

That wasn't what worried Suzaku. "Sometimes the means is the _only_ thing that's important. Even if Zero could have freed Japan, I never would have joined him. And if this is anything as terrible…"

"No one will die, Kururugi," Charles intoned. "Except god."

At his words a column of bodies, twisted and contorted into a spiralling helix, rose into the air. Most of them seemed to be (or to have been) in pain, their mouths wide in a rictus of agony, their forms shaped unnaturally into position. As Suzaku stared in silent horror, they seemed to pierce the sky, and shards rained down around them, none of them hitting the temple, leaving behind a greyish metallic dome looming overhead.

"What the…"

"It's begun," Marianne said reverently, gently putting C.C. aside and standing. "The sword of Akasha is slaying god."

Charles turned to Lelouch. "It's time." He reached out with the hand that held the symbol of _geass_ towards Lelouch's heart. "…my son."

Suzaku wasn't sure how he expected Lelouch to react to that – maybe relaxing, softening, even tearing up a little. When Suzaku had been young, despite his fear, any word of praise from his father had been more gratifying than any other possible reward. He knew what he would have done if his father had reached out to him and called him 'my son' in that deep, affectionate voice.

But Lelouch's eyes, if anything, hardened further. Still, he took off his shirt and revealed his own _geass_ marking, just below his heart, where he had stabbed up and into C.C. "Go ahead."

The Emperor's hand looked massive against Lelouch's thin chest. Lelouch didn't flinch at his father's touch, but neither did he look at Charles, choosing instead to stare at C.C.'s still body as if she held any answers.

Suzaku wished Lelouch had looked to him instead. He'd have seen, instead of C.C.'s non-responsiveness, Suzaku's worry and fear and apprehension. And maybe he would have hesitated.

But he didn't. He stood still while Charles aligned their marks and light shot from between them, up into what had been the fake sky, and then spreading outwards from where the sword of Akasha pierced the heavens, until the entire dome was alight. Suzaku squeezed his eyes shut as the brightness became too much for him to take, the sensation overpowering him until he could almost feel, smell, taste, even hear the light.

And then nothing. He opened his eyes and found himself standing, with Lelouch and Charles, in the cave on Kamine island, as if they'd never entered the World of C at all.

To the side, Suzaku heard Anya groan as she awoke. Anya, or Marianne? He supposed it didn't matter. The only other change was that C.C. hadn't come with them.

"Well," Suzaku said, as Charles let his hand drop to his side and Lelouch immediately put his shirt back on. "That was mostly… disappointing."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

AN: Speaking of being disappointed, if I get one more PM or review about whether or not this fic is going to be 'yaoi' or 'slash' or any homophobic questions along those lines, I will bump up the rating and add an additional gratuitous explicit sex scene between... I dunno, Ougi and Tamaki. And no one wants that. (Okay, I can think of a couple of people who might want that, but I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.) So, please, just note the rating and rest assured that at this rating there will be no sex scenes between anyone, male or female or otherwise, because _obviously_. Sheesh.

Thank you for your time.


	7. Ragnarok

The promise of Ragnarok had been simple; a new beginning, a world of honesty and truth. A world where trust could not be betrayed, and those who had used lies and deceit to profit from those who had faith in their lying words would fall in favour of those whose spirits were more generous and genuine.

Lelouch wasn't seeing any evidence of that yet, but he couldn't deny that the world had changed.

At least for him.

When he looked at Anya he could see his mother, superimposed and smiling at him, pressing a finger to her lips and winking as if they were sharing a secret. When he looked at his father he could see his own reflection, distorted with time and experience but, now that they both had a _code_, closer to him than any other living person.

The thought revolted Lelouch, but not as much as it once might have.

And when Lelouch looked at Suzaku, he could see all the lies Suzaku had spun, and the truths they had concealed. He saw how Suzaku missed Princess Euphemia more than he missed Euphy. He saw how much Suzaku hated both Britannia and the terrorists who fought against the Britannian Empire, in equal measure, for the lives they destroyed. He saw how Suzaku's desire for death was a selfish, cowardly one, and how he was often bitterly grateful for the _geass_ that kept him alive, even against his will.

He saw how Suzaku was willing to sacrifice anything to maintain peace, even himself. Even Lelouch.

Even Nunnally.

All of Suzaku's greatest secrets were on display, and yet they collected together to make a man more admirable and strong than Lelouch had ever known Suzaku to be. His love for Euphy was powerful, and yet it was the loss of peace that Princess Euphemia had promised that Suzaku chiefly mourned. He loved Nunnally and even Lelouch like siblings, and yet he would have given either of them up for peace. He'd had nearly a decade in which he could have killed himself, and yet he hadn't. Instead he'd worked for a government he despised, hoping only that doing so might lead to an opportunity to do good.

Say, by saving the life of a boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time from an execution squad.

Was Ragnarok disappointing? Perhaps for Suzaku, but for Lelouch this was more than he'd ever expected.

Charles grunted, a pleased sound. "This was a success, Kururugi. Just because you happen to be in the presence of _geass_ and _code_ holders doesn't mean that Ragnarok failed. We have always been separate from the world of man."

Suzaku looked confused. "What…"

"In the world, but not of it," Lelouch said softly. "_Geass_ grants great power, but it comes with a cost. The world has been born anew, but we have not been reborn with it. Permitted to watch, never to participate."

"English, Lelouch," Suzaku snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Anyone with a _geass_ or _code_ can still lie or hide the truth. Everyone else… can't."

"But I don't…" Suzaku trailed off in horror. "I never loved Euphy." _Lie_. But more than that, the lie revealed the truth; that Suzaku had been utterly charmed by Euphy the first time they met, thinking her clueless and quirky, and finding out she was a princess hadn't changed that. He hadn't properly fallen in love with her until long after she'd made him her knight, however, and it was her proposal for the SAZ that had made Suzaku feel like he could trust her with his heart in return.

Suzaku frowned. "That was a lie."

"And revealed as such," Charles said, sounding unimpressed. "Whether you believe it or not, you've been swept up in Ragnarok with the rest of humanity."

It wasn't that lies couldn't exist. It was that they could no longer hide the truth. Lelouch clasped Suzaku on the shoulder and gently steered him out of the cave. "Come on, Suzaku. You'll figure it out once we get back to the real world."

Suzaku still seemed confused, but went willingly with Lelouch back to the Lancelot. Anya returned to the Mordred, with Marianne's spirit partially taking over as soon as her hands touched the controls. Charles made his way towards the small airship he'd arrived in, his back straight, every inch an Emperor.

The world was a different place. And Lelouch couldn't wait to see how it had changed.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

There were a few weeks of chaos. Schneizel's driving motivation (Japan's freedom and a slow deconstruction of Britannia's Areas) was revealed during negotiations, as were Zero's identity, Kaguya's purpose (a total overhaul of Japan's social structure, creating more gender and class equality under the guise of 'rebuilding' Japan), Tianzi's more simple true desire (to have a friend), and several more corrupt and less laudable motivations of various UFN and Britannian officials.

People were fired, mutinies against selfish commanders were common, banks fell as consumer confidence tanked, goods were hoarded, abusers and psychopaths were unmasked and either arrested or beaten or even killed by the people they had deceived, to the joy and relief (and sometimes grief) of their victims.

By the time things had settled down, the few honourable politicians and leaders still in place turned to Schneizel and Lelouch for guidance. Between the two of them, the world had seen the greatest guiding hands for peace and freedom, on either side of any conflict, in history.

Lelouch was able to keep Schneizel's _geass_ a secret, and Schneizel's revealed _truth_ was just that his goals aligned with Lelouch's, not that he was being controlled. Within months, every country had an ad-hoc government conscripted from various fields from teachers to doctors to janitors to (a very few) politicians and lawyers that ruled fairly if not always ideally. Democracy was established as the only fair way to choose future leaders now that no one could lie.

The kinder, gentler world Nunnally had wanted was here. The peace and comfort for the vulnerable that Suzaku had always worked towards was here.

And the price they'd both had to pay had simply been Lelouch's greatest happiness.

Once it became known that Lelouch was Zero, once Nunnally had confronted Suzaku and Schneizel and heard everything they could tell her about why Lelouch had done what he'd done, once Nunnally had hunted Lelouch himself down and found out that he was the one person who could still lie to her, she hadn't been able to take it.

If this had been before Ragnarok, she might have tried to fake forgiveness, to embrace her brother and hopefully learn to live with what he'd done. But her horror and anger and fear were her _truth_, and she couldn't hide it from Lelouch any more than Suzaku or Schneizel could have hidden Lelouch's willing actions and vicious justifications from her.

Suzaku watched as Lelouch closed his eyes and accepted every ounce of Nunnally's emotions, as he nodded and stepped back and let Nunnally cut him from her life. Before Ragnarok, Suzaku would have been able to hide his victorious glee, followed by shame, followed by remorse and pity. But there was no point in even trying to hide the _truth_ now, although attempting to would be a habit that few people born before Ragnarok would be able to suppress.

Nunnally looked at Suzaku with understanding as Lelouch left, and he knew she knew what he was feeling – the admirable thoughts and the despicable ones. But him, not Lelouch, she was able to forgive.

The invitation was out before Suzaku could think about it. The rush of pleasure at Nunnally's acceptance was surprisingly strong, as was the reluctance to tell Lelouch.

But he had to. He owed Lelouch that much.

"Hey."

Lelouch looked up from a paper he was reading. He looked pale and wan. Suzaku knew that he lied about how much sleep he was getting, knew that he was pushing the limit of what 'immortal' meant. It exasperated and impressed Suzaku at the same time but, just for old time's sake, he tried to hide his reaction.

At least the amusement that crossed Lelouch's face made him look more alive. "Suzaku. What brings you here?"

"I just wanted you to know I'm going back to Japan," Suzaku said. Lelouch didn't look surprised. "And I'm taking Nunnally with me."

Lelouch just stared at Suzaku with narrowed eyes. The silence was uncomfortable, particularly as Suzaku had gotten used to the _truth_ as a backdrop to all communications, constantly feeding extra information to him (and from him) about everyone except Lelouch.

"Is she going _with_ you, or is she merely travelling with you?" Lelouch asked finally.

Suzaku flushed. "I… that's… _Lelouch_!" The mere suggestion that Suzaku was planning anything with Nunnally's… virtue… was inconceivable.

Lelouch shrugged. "You seem to have a thing for my sisters." Suzaku let the flare of anger that comment provoked out without any resistance. Lelouch flinched a little. "Fine, your intentions are nothing but honourable. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." Suzaku shifted nervously, hating that Lelouch could hide and he couldn't. "She's still upset, you know." Lelouch inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I'll let you know if that changes."

When Lelouch's eyes widened, Suzaku felt, for the first time, that Lelouch was as open and vulnerable as he was. He couldn't read Lelouch's _truth_, but he could see it in his face.

"Thank you."

That was as close as Suzaku was likely to get to Lelouch's honesty. But, at least, he could answer honestly as well.

"My pleasure."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

For months, the post-Ragnarok world seemed to be perfect. Those who embraced the change found that they would not only see into each other's hearts, but that that could speak with people who had recently died, 'recently' ranging anywhere from a few years to just over a decade. The dead spoke to the living at times of meditation or sleep, when their minds were the most open.

Lelouch didn't try to speak with Euphemia. After what had happened with Nunnally, he had no desire to risk rejection from Euphemia as well. He did, however, finish Clovis's journal and waited for his elder brother to come to him when his defences were down. When Clovis didn't, Lelouch tried to feel happy that his brother had moved on, rather than disappointed that he'd never have the chance to explain himself, and allow Clovis to explain why he'd allowed atrocities to happen under his watch when he really was a gentle, caring person.

Speaking of atrocities, Charles zi Britannia had disappeared after Kamine, and Lelouch hardly missed him. Schneizel was still trusted (mainly because he'd been oddly honest throughout his life, if not straight-forward) and had surrounded himself with equally trustworthy people. When Marianne's body was found missing and Lelouch found Anya without his mother's aura surrounding her, Lelouch declared the mystery not worth anyone's time and had the investigation closed down.

Rolo, whose _geass_ gave him the power of deceit as well as the power to apparently stop time, had risen to a position of power within the Japanese government, simply by seemingly never lying. He wasn't clever enough or quick enough to rise to the highest echelon of power, but he was happily working as a middle-rung bureaucrat for people who respected and praised him. Jeremiah stayed at Lelouch's right-hand, even after Lelouch disclosed that his mother was alive and with his father. Lelouch was happy to see that Jeremiah's loyalty was still to himself, although if Marianne had come and pushed the issue, there could have been problems.

Nina returned to work with Britannian scientists, her racism somehow blunted after seeing so many Numbers reveal their true selves as nothing more or less than any Britannian. Milly's family rose to power once again now that Lelouch was able to reward them for their service, but Milly chose to remain on TV and refused both invitations Lelouch sent to her – one private and one offer for an interview. Rivalz graduated and went to university and fell off Lelouch's radar.

People avoided Lelouch. They worked with him when they had to, but even then they tried not to look directly at him and kept their meetings with him as short as possible. As _truths_ became nearly universal, Lelouch's lack of _truth_ marked him as an outsider as strongly as his _geass_ markings ever could have. Not that it mattered – ever since Lelouch had taken his _geass_ from C.C., he'd know this would be how he ended up. Alone, separate, with nothing to show for his sacrifice but the world itself.

Apart from that, however, the world seemed perfect.

Until the suicides started.

At first, there weren't enough, and there wasn't enough of a pattern, to be detected. The victims were poor, mentally unbalanced, undesirable in society. They weren't missed and, indeed, except for the police who collected the bodies and the doctors who performed the autopsies, they passed unnoted. A few of them were briefly investigated as possible homicides, but the inability of witnesses to lie made most investigations simple and straightforward now.

Then it was families. Again, generally poor, drug-addicted parents and children with birth defects from antenatal drug use. This time it was noticed, and the murmurs that maybe the world was better off without them were unstaunched by previous social ideas of decency and respect. The only thing that mattered now was the truth, and the truth was that those families had been a scourge on the moral fibre of whatever city they were living in.

Lelouch, removed from the world as he was, didn't take note of this. Schneizel did.

"I haven't decided if this is an unforeseen benefit of Ragnarok, or a flaw," Schneizel said, and Lelouch could tell that he was speaking the blunt truth. "Taking one's own life is rarely a simple matter, but knowing that everyone around you feels that you're a waste of resources, that your death would make the world a better place? After a certain point, how can you fight against that?"

Lelouch didn't answer Schneizel's largely rhetorical question. "How many?"

"Worldwide estimates range between five to nine million," Schneizel said. "Less than one percent of the world's population."

"An acceptable margin," Lelouch said blandly. "In a few generations, this will be completely forgotten."

Schneizel shrugged. "Then let's hope it ends with this."

It didn't. Humans seemed to thrive on preying on those weaker than themselves. The rate of suicides didn't increase, but neither did it decrease. Along with the indigent and mentally unbalanced came those who were functioning at the lower rungs of society – people who had trouble making social connections, adults with mental retardation, menial workers who were bad at even their 'unskilled' jobs. People who could be considered worthless, without being considered a drain on society.

A few months in, some of the previously powerful people who had thrived in a world filled with lies started killing themselves as well. Again, no one mourned their passing, and those still living remained pleased at what a happier, cleaner, _truer_ place the world was now.

Still, Lelouch did nothing until the first mass suicide was reported.

It was a small rural village in one of the poorer African countries. It had no running water, no electricity. The people there mostly survived on what they could hunt or fish or gather. Because of the pollution from the industrialization of the rest of the country, they had contracted a disease of some kind, and asked for help.

The only response they received was that helping them would take far too many resources, and that their way of living made it likely they'd just need the help again in the future.

Confronted with this _truth_, the community decided that the best thing they could do for the world was to die.

So they did.

This time there was some outrage. Many countries no longer used money, instead distributing food and care and shelter according to whatever the rulers considered a fair rubric. The idea of leaving a community with nothing was anathema to them. But they lived in rich, affluent countries where no one needed to go hungry (especially now that the lowest rungs of their society were functioning members rather than destitute) and there were resources enough to go around. It wasn't like that everywhere.

After the first one, there were others. Villages, towns, communities within cities… Lelouch frowned as he read Schneizel's report. "Nearly a billion?"

"Likely closer to half a billion," Schneizel corrected. "Accidental number inflation is common in times of crisis."

"Is that what this is," Lelouch mused. "A time of crisis?"

"What would you call it?" Schneizel asked diffidently.

Lelouch looked up at his elder brother. "A purge."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Secrets had a purpose, Suzaku was beginning to realize. No one was innately good or innately evil, but societal pressure forced people to at least _appear_ good to be accepted. That was no longer the case.

The will of the people of Japan was simple – to be a part of their society, you must conform to what they considered 'normal'. That meant being productive, honest, and socially aware. Missing any of those three qualities led to ostracization, dismissal, and eventually a worthless death.

The delighted glee with which the Japanese people tallied up the deaths and crowed about the improvements in their wake made Suzaku sick.

In no small part because there was a part of him that agreed.

It wasn't as if the people of Japan were evil, either. There was more peace than ever before, after the immediate aftermath of revealing what everyone truly thought of everyone else, and cooperation. In general, people were happier and healthier, and mild social faux-pas were managed gently and considerately, an attempt to reform those who make mistakes and missteps rather than an attempt to punish them.

But, in the months since Japan had become a country again, there had been almost no marriages. And, after nine months since Ragnarok, Suzaku noticed there were far fewer children being born.

People couldn't connect. The white lies of socialization had been ingrained for so long that meeting someone and finding out everything about them meant that no deep connections could be formed. Instead of easing into relationships, people had to accept or dismiss others immediately, based on everything about them.

There was more acceptance than before. But there was far less intimacy.

"We're going to die out," Suzaku realized after discussing his concerns with Euphemia.

Nunnally, at his side and silent up to that moment, nodded. "I agree. Had my brother confided in me slowly, gradually revealing who he was and what he'd done, I might have been able to forgive him." There was guilt there, Suzaku sensed, but also that same thread of anger and hurt, unchanged since Nunnally had first found out Lelouch was Zero, despite Euphemia's attempts at mediation. "We're not meant to walk around with our souls exposed like this."

"I don't know if we can go back to what we were," Suzaku said. He thought of Lelouch, of the way he continued to lie, possibly just because he could. "I don't know if he'd let us if we could."

Nunnally didn't have to ask who he was talking about. "You should go to him."

"And what? Lecture him? Scold him?" Part of Suzaku dearly wanted to.

"Yes, that," Nunnally said, humour gracing her face for the first time in weeks. "But also to ask for his help."

Suzaku thought about what that would take, about how much he resented Lelouch creating this world as a giant tease and then making it so rotten. The blow to his pride to ask Lelouch for help, instead of coercing it or bartering for it, might be too much.

Nunnally laughed, and the humour was gone. "If you show him that, Suzaku, I can guarantee he'd accept. I'm sure Lelouch still delights in seeing you wage war against your sense of pride."

She had become jaded. Her kinder, gentler world had made her harder, crueller. And Suzaku could deny her nothing. "I'll leave tonight."

When Suzaku arrived, he was informed that Lelouch wasn't in his office. He was in the nursery, but he had asked that Suzaku be brought to him as soon as possible. Suzaku let the guards escort him.

The nursery was dark and silent and warm, the perfect environment for a sleeping baby. Lelouch looked up as Suzaku entered and smiled, his face shining eerily in the glow of the nightlight. He stepped away from the crib and gestured to a pair of rocking chairs.

Suzaku sat, keeping his back straight, unsure why they were doing this here. "Do you know why I came?"

"Is it to tell me that Nunnally has forgiven me?" Lelouch asked without much hope. Suzaku shook his head and Lelouch sighed. "Then I expect it's about the deaths."

"And the low birth rate," Suzaku said. "We're dying out." Lelouch didn't answer, and Suzaku leaned closer. "Lelouch, if you can stop this you _have_ to. We're talking about the extinction of the human race!"

Lelouch shushed him, shooting worried glances as the crib. "Keep your voice down, Suzaku. And I know. We were _always _talking about the extinction of the human race."

"…what?"

Lelouch stood and moved back to the crib, waving Suzaku over. The crib held a black-haired baby, tiny and new, and for a crazy moment Suzaku thought it might be Lelouch's.

"He's Guinevere's," Lelouch said, correcting that assumption. "She's imprisoned for treason, but her child will never have to be. Do you know why?" Suzaku mutely shook his head. "Because he'll grow up in a world without lies. Without betrayal. He'll be raised knowing that everything he thinks and feels will be shared with the rest of the world, and that he'll share in their thoughts and feelings. He won't be human, Suzaku. He'll be better.

"In less than a century, this world will have far fewer people in it. But those people will be honest and trusting and trustworthy. And they'll build something far greater and stronger than anything humanity could create. Why should I care about the deaths of a few million, or even a billion people? Their time was up, as is every other human's. Their heirs will be magnificent, an undeniable improvement over themselves, and isn't that what every parent should want?"

Suzaku stood in horrified silence. This was _his_ fault. How many times had Lelouch told Suzaku that he was only able to go through with this, with allying himself with his father, seeing an honest world as a better place, because of how well trusting Suzaku had turned out. If Suzaku hadn't forced honesty down Lelouch's throat, Lelouch wouldn't be forcing it on humanity now. "How… I…"

"Hush," Lelouch said soothingly. "You don't have to speak, Suzaku. I know how you feel, what you're thinking." He turned to Suzaku, his face gentle and calm. "You couldn't hide it from me even if you wished. And, soon, no one will wish to. No one will have known anything else. Humanity will end, and a new race of people, forever connected to each other, will rise up."

Lelouch gave the baby a final caress and moved to pass Suzaku, pausing when he was beside him. "And I will be there, to witness it. And you, Suzaku…" Lelouch leaned in until Suzaku could feel the breath of his words against his throat. "You, too, will _live_ to see it."

He pressed something into Suzaku's hands as he walked out of the room. It took Suzaku a moment to shake off his shock long enough to look down and see what it was.

When he did, he hurled it against the wall, screaming wordlessly, his cries mingling with the baby's as it woke.

Zero's mask rolled over the nursery floor, stopping against the foot of the crib, and looked up at Suzaku as if smugly victorious.


End file.
